Earth Science question?

Question

1) what is tectonic stress? explain the main type of stress.

2) what mountain chain has formed at a divergent plate boundary? what are the main differences between this chain and those developed at convergent boundaries. explain the differences

Answer 1

This site may explain to all about tectonic stress: It can get rather involved and I can run a muck and for fear that I might confuse you I am going to give you a site that is a little more organized in explaining Tectonic stress. http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/tecpaper.htm...

The mountain chains that form at divergent plate boundaries are called ridges like the mid-ocean ridges.  As the two plates are being pushed away from each other new rock forms to replace the hold and when this happen they eventually form ridges.  Some are miles higher than Mt Everest.  Rift zones are often the mountain ranges created at a divergent plate boundary on land.

Convergent as explained in your previous question is the uplift of two plates colliding.  The subduction zones (also a convergent type of boundary) is the boundary that involves volcanic activity.

The differences were explained in my explanation here except the volcanic activity.  Both plate boundaries have volcanic activity, however very different types.  At a convergent (subduction) zone you have the more explosive types of volcanoes strato (composite) volcanoes because of the build up of pressure produces gases and contains more H2O which makes the lava a lot more viscous and explosive.  At the divergent plate boundaries, the volcanism there is a lot tamer.  Volcanism consist of more fissure and shield volcanoes.  This is because as the plates move apart there are openings in the plate called fissures, hence the name fissure volcanoes or hotspots.  These volcanoes are a lot less explosive because ther is a lot less pressure build up in the mantel beneath the diverging plates.

Despite volcanoes tending to be located near plate boundaries, there are some scattered randomly throughout the world these volcanoes are called hotspots or calderas as well.