Question

Summed over the entire surface of the Earth, the rate of spreading at divergent boundaries is ________ lithospheric consumption at subduction zones.

Answer 1

Answer:

Equal

Explanation:

In a divergent plate boundary, two plates move away from one another and new materials are deposited along the center of this boundary, which is commonly known as the mid-oceanic ridge.

On the other hand, in a convergent plate boundary, two plates move towards each other, resulting in the formation of a subduction zone. The denser plate subducts below the less dense plate and melts at the asthenosphere layer. Here, the crust is consumed or destructed.

The total land areas on earth always remain conserved. This means that the portion of the crust that is destroyed in the convergent plate boundary is balanced by the portion of the newly formed crust that occurs along the mid-oceanic ridge in the divergent plate boundary. This is how the plate movement is responsible for the conservation of total landmass on earth.

Thus, the rate at which plates diverges is equal to the rate at which the plate converges.