di·ver·gent plate boundary

(dĭ-vûr′jənt)

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. Also called spreading zone. See more at tectonic boundary. Compare convergent plate boundary.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive

The Rift is an example of a divergent plate boundary, where the Earth's tectonic forces are pulling plates apart and creating new continental crust.

Cradle of humanity found to be 25 mln yrs older than thought

There is a divergent plate boundary, where a rift has formed between Africa and the Arabian tectonic plates, which began to part about 30 million years ago.

A KHAWAGA'S TALE: Here comes the sun

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