divergent plate boundary
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Related to divergent plate boundary: Convergent Plate Boundary
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.