Earth: Plates on the Move

In this activity, students explore how the movement of tectonic plates forms mountains, volcanoes, oceans, and earthquakes. It first describes the plates and the various types of interaction at plate boundaries. An interactive map of the world shows the relationship between plate boundaries and earthquakes, allowing the student to click on selected place to explore a volcano, mountain, hotspot or earthquake. They then zoom in the see how the plates are moving, play an animation about the plate interaction, and read a story about the event. In addition, a set of links lead to more detailed information. Educational levels: Intermediate elementary, Middle school