There are three different plate boundaries: divergent, convergent and transform. A divergent, or constructive plate boundary is when two plates spread apart from each other, usually creating a large crack down the centre where they separated. A convergent, or destructive plate boundary is when two plates move towards each other, either forming new mountains or creating a trench from one of the plates sliding under the other one, depending on how dense it is. The last plate boundary is the transform boundary. A transform boundary is when two plates slide horizontally past each other creating a crack down the middle.
The three different plate boundaries are divergent, convergent and transform.
The Eurasian plate and African plate move together.
The Tyrrhenian Basin is located just next to Italy..
The location of the Apennine Mountains throughout Italy.
Plate Tectonic Theory and Cause of Plate Movement
The Earth's lithosphere is broken up to lots of pieces called tectonic plates. These plates are always moving, but extremely slowly. From time to time these plates rub against each other, pull apart from each other, slip under each other, fold over or collide with one another. When this happens a range of things can happen such as; mountains creation, volcano activity, huge cracks occurring, tsunamis and oceanic trench formation, but the main event that takes place when this happens are earthquakes. The plates move because of the currents of the liquid mantle that the tectonic plates float on.The mantle moves because of convection currents, which is when hot rock rises, and then when is cools it falls, this current makes the liquid rock continuously move under the lithosphere, in turn making the plates move.
Example of a convergent plate boundary, meaning they move towards each other and collide.
Tectonic Plate Movement in L'Aquila
The earthquake occurred due to a few events taking place. The main reason the earthquake struck was because L'Aquila is located in between the African and Eurasian plates. The two plates are slowly moving together, meaning they are convergent plates, this movement over time has also created the Apennine Mountains which run throughout Italy and through L'Aqiula. The opening of the Tyrrhenian Basin which caused a rupture along a normal fault in the central Apennine Mountains also contributed to the earthquake.
The epicentre of the earthquake was in the centre of L'Aquilla, making that area the most affected. The seismic waves, however reached past Rome.