What types of structures form at divergent boundaries? select two answers
Ridges
Cracks
Volcanoes
faults
trenches
At divergent boundaries, where tectonic plates move apart from one another, the following structures typically form:
1. Ridges - Mid-ocean ridges, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, are perhaps the most well-known features associated with divergent boundaries. These undersea mountain ranges are formed as magma upwells from below the Earth's crust and solidifies to create new oceanic crust.
2. Volcanoes - While not as common as mid-ocean ridges, volcanoes can also form at divergent boundaries, especially when the boundary is on continental land, such as the East African Rift. In these areas, the thinning crust can allow magma to reach the surface and create volcanoes.
Trenches are usually associated with convergent boundaries, where one plate is subducting under another. Faults can occur near divergent boundaries, but they are more typically associated with transform boundaries where plates slide past one another. Cracks might refer to fissures that can indeed form in the process of rifting at a divergent boundary, but they are not a major geological structure like ridges or volcanoes.