24. Lithospheric Plates and Plate Movement

In the midst of Rocky Mountains, Athabasca Glacier, Alberta, Canada. May 2014.

Plate Movement

Deep down in the ocean, mid-oceanic ridges rely on the volcanic magma forcing out to form new seafloors resulting in seafloor spreading. These plates that are spreading in the bottom of the ocean are lithospheric plates and their movements are called plate tectonics. Most of the earthquakes occur when the lithospheric plates collide or separate from one another. Like the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, collisional plates could potentially cause formation of mountains and valleys.