A divergent boundary is created when two plates move apart from one another. When this occurs in the ocean, two things may occur: sea-floor spreading or a mid-ocean ridge. When sea-floor spreading occurs, magma is pushed up from within the earth to create a new crust and a new ocean floor is formed. The Red Sea is an example of this. It was created as the African plate and the Arabian plate separated. A new sea-floor was created as two tectonic plates separated (National Geographic, n.d.).
If a raised ridge is created, this is referred to as a mid-ocean ridge that looks like an underwater mountain. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of this. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates the North American plate from the Eurasian plate and the South American plate from the African plate (National Geographic, n.d.). Scientists on board the H.M.S. Challenger first discovered this ridge in 1872. After many years of researching and mapping the area, it is determined to be the longest, unbroken mountain chain in the world measuring over 40,000 kilometers long (Extreme Science, n.d.).
When this occurs on land, a rift or valley is created and new streams, rivers, or even lakes may form as a result. An example of this would be the Rio Grande that runs through a continental rift that extends from Colorado to Mexico (Gosman, 2014). Rifts are created as a result from thinning crust (stretching and pulling of the lithosphere.) Some other examples of divergent rifts are the Great Rift Valley in Africa and Lake Baikal in Russia.
To learn more about divergent boundaries and how it relates to the land and the people of that area, watch the following video clip.
If a raised ridge is created, this is referred to as a mid-ocean ridge that looks like an underwater mountain. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of this. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates the North American plate from the Eurasian plate and the South American plate from the African plate (National Geographic, n.d.). Scientists on board the H.M.S. Challenger first discovered this ridge in 1872. After many years of researching and mapping the area, it is determined to be the longest, unbroken mountain chain in the world measuring over 40,000 kilometers long (Extreme Science, n.d.).
When this occurs on land, a rift or valley is created and new streams, rivers, or even lakes may form as a result. An example of this would be the Rio Grande that runs through a continental rift that extends from Colorado to Mexico (Gosman, 2014). Rifts are created as a result from thinning crust (stretching and pulling of the lithosphere.) Some other examples of divergent rifts are the Great Rift Valley in Africa and Lake Baikal in Russia.
To learn more about divergent boundaries and how it relates to the land and the people of that area, watch the following video clip.