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divergent plate boundary

American  

noun

  1. Geology. the boundary between two tectonic or crustal plates that are moving apart, at which magma rises to the surface to form new crust between the plates. Compare convergent plate boundary.

divergent plate boundary Scientific  
/ dĭ-vûr′jənt /

  1. A tectonic boundary where two plates are moving away from each other and new crust is forming from magma that rises to the Earth's surface between the two plates. The middle of the Red Sea and the mid-ocean ridge (running the length of the Atlantic Ocean) are divergent plate boundaries.

  2. Also called passive margin spreading zone

  3. See more at tectonic boundary Compare convergent plate boundary

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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.