Constructive Plate Margin

Key Stage 4

Meaning

A constructive plate margin is the location where two Tectonic Plates are moving away from one another.

About Constructive Plate Margins

At constructive plate margins two plates are pushing away from each other and therefore opening a large gap between then. Magma then rises from deep in the earth in the mantle to fill this gap and new crust is formed. Volcanos are often found at constructive plate margins as the convection currents become disrupted - allowing magma to rise through the gap. This process often creates eruptions. A key example of a constructive plate margin is the mid-Atlantic ridge where the new crust that has formed is visible in the form of a long ridge of land under the Atlantic Ocean.