Question

reflecting on the investigation question
use evidence from the \listening to earth\ article and your physical models to answer the investigation question.

what happens to the plates and the mantle at plate boundaries?
try to include the following terms in your response: plate, mantle, convergent boundary, divergent boundary.

write here...

Explanation:

At divergent boundaries, tectonic plates move apart. The mantle (asthenosphere) beneath rises as magma, filling the gap, which can form new crust (e.g., mid - ocean ridges). At convergent boundaries, plates collide: one may subduct (sink) into the mantle (lithosphere - asthenosphere interaction), causing mantle convection - related movements, and leading to phenomena like mountain building or volcanic arcs. The mantle's convection currents drive plate motion, and at boundaries, the interaction between plates and the mantle (via magma movement, subduction, etc.) shapes geological features.

Answer:

At divergent boundaries, tectonic plates move away from each other. The mantle (specifically the asthenospheric part) has magma that rises to fill the gap between the separating plates, creating new crust (like at mid - ocean ridges). At convergent boundaries, plates move toward each other. One plate may subduct (descend) into the mantle, where it is recycled. The mantle's convection currents drive plate motion, and at these boundaries, the interaction between plates and the mantle (such as magma generation from subducted plate melting or mantle material movement) leads to events like mountain formation (when continental plates collide) or volcanic arc creation (when an oceanic and continental plate converge). Overall, the mantle's dynamic processes (convection) influence plate movement, and at plate boundaries, plates and the mantle interact in ways that reshape the Earth's crust (through processes like crust creation at divergent boundaries and crust destruction/subduction at convergent boundaries).