Which one of the following options are not correctly matched with respect to the name of plates and the type of plate boundary?

The correct answer is Option 2

Key Points

• The Nazca Plate and South American Plate are not diverging plates; they are converging plates.
• The convergence of these plates forms the Andes Mountains and the Peru-Chile Trench.
• Converging boundaries typically occur when two plates move toward each other, causing subduction or orogeny.
• This is an example of an oceanic-continental convergent boundary, where the denser oceanic Nazca Plate subducts beneath the lighter continental South American Plate.

Important Points

• The question revolves around the correct classification of tectonic plate boundaries, such as convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries.
• These classifications are based on the movement of tectonic plates relative to one another.
• Understanding plate tectonics is crucial in geosciences as it explains phenomena like earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building.

Additional Information

• The North American Plate and Eurasian Plate: These plates are diverging from each other. They form the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a classic example of a divergent plate boundary where seafloor spreading occurs.
• The Nazca Plate and Pacific Plate: These plates exhibit a divergent boundary. The Pacific Plate and the Nazca Plate are moving apart, creating the East Pacific Rise, a mid-oceanic ridge where new crust is formed.
• Indian-Australian Plate and Eurasian Plate: These plates are converging. The collision between them has given rise to the Himalayan mountain range, which is still rising due to ongoing tectonic activity.
• Plate Boundaries: Plate boundaries are categorized into three types:
  • Divergent boundaries: Plates move away from each other, forming mid-ocean ridges or rift valleys.
  • Convergent boundaries: Plates move toward each other, causing subduction zones or mountain ranges.
  • Transform boundaries: Plates slide past each other, causing fault lines such as the San Andreas Fault.