Mapped: Tectonic Plate Boundaries and Their Types
图解板块边界及其类型
Looking at a heat map of where earthquakes have occurred in the last 70 years forms a glowing x-ray of tectonic plate boundaries.
查看过去70年地震发生地的热力图，地球板块边界就像X光图像那样光亮且显眼。
Tectonic plates—or massive moving slabs of rock—fit together like puzzle pieces, making up the lithosphere or the upper crust of the Earth. In the maps, we take a look at the types of boundaries based on research from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
地球板块是巨大的、可移动的岩石板块，像拼图一样紧密相连，构成了地球的上地壳。我们根据美国地质调查局（USGS）的研究，来看看地图显示的板块边界的类型。
There are three major ones, as summarized below.
板块边界主要有三种类型，请看以下所述。
The Three Types of Plate Boundaries
三种板块边界类型
Divergent boundaries occur when two tectonic plates are moving away from each other. As a result, they can create new valleys and oceanic crust, sometimes resulting in volcanoes.
离散边界发生在两块板块相互远离的时候。板块相互远离可以形成新的山谷和海洋地壳，有时还会导致火山的形成。
The Arabian and African plate have a divergent boundary and caused the 1995 earthquake (magnitude 7.1 on the Richter scale) near the Gulf of Aqaba.
阿拉伯板块和非洲板块之间有一条离散边界，1995年在阿卡巴湾附近发生的地震（里氏震级7.1）就由此引发。
Tectonic Plate Boundary 板块边界类型 | Examples of Tectonic Plates Boundaries 板块边界类型示例 | Earthquakes Caused 引发的地震示例 |
Divergent 离散边界 | North American & Eurasian Plate / Arabian & African Plate（Red Sea） 北美板块与欧亚板块 /阿拉伯板块与非洲板块（红海） | 1995 Gulf of Aqaba Earthquake 1995年阿卡巴湾地震 |
Convergent 汇聚边界 | Indian & Eurasian Plate / Pacific & North American Plate 印度板块与欧亚板块 /太平洋板块与北美板块 | 2011 Japan Earthquake 2011年日本地震 |
Transform 转换边界 | Pacific & North American Plate / Arabian & Eurasian Plate 太平洋板块与北美板块 /阿拉伯板块与欧亚板块 | 2023 Türkiye Earthquake 2023年土耳其地震 |
Meanwhile, convergent boundaries are areas where two tectonic plates move towards each other. This leads either to collision and the Earth’s crust is pushed upwards, often leading to the formation of mountains, like the Himalayas.
与此同时，汇聚边界出现在两个板块相互靠近的区域。板块相互靠近引发碰撞，地壳被推向上方，通常会形成山脉，如喜马拉雅山脉。
Or subduction occurs, where one plate moves beneath the other. Subduction has caused some of the most devastating earthquakes in modern history. This includes the 1960 Valdivia Earthquake, the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake, and the 2011 Japan Earthquake. The expected earthquake in the Pacific, colloquially called “The Big One” will occur because of a convergent boundary.
汇聚边界也会发生俯冲现象，即其中一块板块向另一块板块的下方移动。板块俯冲引发了现代历史上一些最具破坏性的地震，包括1960年的瓦尔迪维亚地震、2004年的印度洋地震和2011年的日本地震。通常发生在太平洋周边的“大地震”是由汇聚边界引发的。
Finally, transform boundaries are regions where two tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other. This can cause frequent seismic activity along fault lines. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and the 2023 Türkiye Earthquake occurred on the San Andreas Fault and the Anatolian Fault respectively.
最后，转换边界是两块板块水平滑动经过彼此的区域。板块的水平滑动能会导致沿着断层线频繁的地震活动。1906年的旧金山地震和2023年的土耳其地震分别发生在圣安德烈亚斯断层和安纳托利亚断层上。
相关文章——全球主要地震分布图——环太平洋、阿尔卑斯、大西洋中脊三大区域，以及现代主要20次大地震
注意：在高中地理，对于板块边界通常仅学习生长边界和消亡边界，较少提及转换边界；生长边界也就是本文中的Divergent Boundary离散边界和Convergent Boundary汇聚边界；不同资料对板块边界名称的表达有所不同，但只要看其解释都能很快理解到。
