Global Distribution of Earthquakes and Volcanoes

The map illustrates the complex relationship between plate boundary movement and earthquakes, showing major tectonic plates including Pacific, North American, Eurasian, and Indo-Australian plates. The distribution reveals clear patterns of seismic and volcanic activity.

Definition: Lithospheric plate boundary types are the zones where tectonic plates meet and interact, leading to various geological phenomena.

Vocabulary: Hot spots are locations where volcanoes form in the middle of tectonic plates, away from plate boundaries.

Example: The west coast of North and South America represents a highly active earthquake zone, demonstrating the relationship between plate boundaries and seismic activity.

Highlight: Features of an earthquake and volcanic activity are most commonly concentrated along narrow belts associated with plate boundaries, though some volcanic activity occurs at hot spots within plates.

The map shows several key features:

• Clear delineation of major tectonic plates
• Directional arrows indicating plate movement
• Concentration of earthquakes and volcanoes along plate boundaries
• Distribution of both continental and oceanic crust types

Definition: Oceanic crust is younger (usually less than 200 million years), thinner (5-10km), and denser than continental crust, which can be up to 3.8 billion years old and 20-200km thick.