Asked by juhh

WHAT IS IT WHEN TECTONIC PLATES SLOWLY MOVE AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AND NEW OCEAN AND CONTINENTS FORMS.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
That process is called a divergent plate boundary, commonly described as seafloor spreading (or continental rifting when it begins on land).

Briefly:
- Mantle upwelling pulls plates apart, forming a rift (rift valley).
- Magma rises and solidifies to create new oceanic crust at a mid‑ocean ridge.
- Continued spreading can split a continent and form a new ocean basin.

Examples: the East African Rift (early rifting), the Red Sea (forming ocean), and the Atlantic Ocean (an advanced stage of seafloor spreading).