Plate divergence is a tectonic phenomenon in which lithospheric plates move apart along divergent plate boundaries, driven primarily by mantle convection, slab pull, and ridge push forces. This separation promotes decompression melting of the underlying asthenosphere, generating mafic magmas that ascend to form new oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridges or intraplate rift systems on continents. The process is characterized by extensional stress fields, normal faulting, and symmetric seafloor spreading, often accompanied by linear volcanic and seismic activity. Plate divergence plays a central role in lithosphere recycling, global heat loss, and the long-term evolution of ocean basins and continental configurations.
Deep below the Tyrrhenian Sea offshore Italy, scientists drilled into what they thought would be dark mantle rock—and found pieces of granite that seemingly had no business being there. Those unexpected intrusions turned ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 4, 2026
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Located in the middle of the North Pacific, between Japan and Canada, lies one of the world's largest oceanic plateaus, the so-called Hess Rise. The plateau is roughly T-shaped and extends over a length of about 1,000 kilometers. ...
Earth Sciences
May 24, 2026
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Hydrogen gas formed by natural processes in the subsurface of mountain ranges could represent a promising source of clean energy. A new international study led by Unil and GFZ shows that erosion plays a key and complex role ...
Earth Sciences
May 18, 2026
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Isotope analysis of gas from geothermal springs in Zambia could show that a new continental rift is forming, scientists say. Unexpectedly high helium isotope ratios indicate that a weakness in Earth's crust has broken through ...
Earth Sciences
May 12, 2026
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About 600 million years ago, the continents wandered Earth, yet to settle into their current positions. Their locations during the Ediacaran (as this time is called) have been tough for scientists to pin down. Earth's magnetic ...
Earth Sciences
May 5, 2026
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Scientists have discovered a Jurassic tectonic plate boundary that could help to predict what the planet might look like millions of years into the future. Dr. Jordan Phethean, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the University ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 23, 2026
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Eastern Africa's Turkana Rift is both a hotbed for fossil discoveries of our earliest ancestors and a literal hotbed of volcanic activity caused by shifting tectonic plates. Now researchers have found that Earth's underlying ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 23, 2026
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The history of Earth is written on the great tablets of tectonic plates. The motions of plates shaped land masses, formed oceans, and created the varied climates and habitats that set the stage for evolution and the diversity ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 19, 2026
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When the supercontinent Pangea began to fragment around 200 million years ago during the Early Jurassic, it reshaped the face of the planet. Vast new oceans opened, continents drifted apart and the familiar geography of today ...
About 56 million years ago, Europe and North America began pulling apart to form what became the ever-expanding North Atlantic Ocean. Vast amounts of molten rock from Earth's mantle reached the ocean floor as the crust stretched ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 18, 2026
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