This simulator shows two lithospheric plates in a crust-and-mantle cross-section. Choose a divergent ridge, a convergent subduction zone or a transform fault, set the relative plate speed and the slab dip, and track elapsed geological time and accumulated displacement.
• A real-time 3D scene with 4 inspectable parts (Left lithospheric plate, Right lithospheric plate, Boundary zone and Deforming asthenosphere), with home view, focus-selected-part, auto-rotate, expand, instrument-cover and hide-labels scene tools, plus a model response curve beneath the scene. • Experiment controls: Boundary type (Divergent ridge, Convergent subduction, Transform fault); Relative plate speed (1-12 cm/year); Slab dip (15-60 °); show explanatory motion markers; pause/resume, 0.1 s and 1 s single-step buttons, four playback speeds and a restart button. • A Curves & measurements tab with a parameter-comparison chart, a live-measurements chart, the model equations and snapshot readouts (Elapsed geological time; Relative displacement; Convergence horizontal component; Subduction vertical component). • An Experiments tab with 2 guided presets (transform motion and subduction) and a Model verification bench that runs independent fresh models, plus a timestamped event log and a copyable trial report. • A Learn & assess tab with guided lessons, a knowledge-check quiz with reset and a written model-scope statement linking to a technical reference.
At a divergent boundary the plates separate and new crust can form; at a convergent boundary one plate descends beneath the other in a subduction geometry; at a transform boundary the plates slide past each other. Relative speed is adjustable from 1 to 12 centimeters per year, and the slab dip from 15 to 60 degrees.
Displacement follows d = v t, so 1 cm per year over 1 million years is 10 km. For convergence the lab splits the relative displacement into a horizontal component d cos(dip) and a vertical subduction component d sin(dip).
Speed and dip are prescribed rather than predicted, and one animation second represents 0.1 million years. Markers wrap through a viewing window, and the asthenosphere is shown as predominantly solid but ductile rather than a uniform liquid ocean.
The geometry is not a mass-conserving global plate model, and the lab makes no prediction of earthquakes or melt generation.
The plates move apart, and new crust can form as material rises to fill the gap. Switch the boundary type to Divergent ridge to see the plates separate and displacement accumulate.
For a convergent boundary with relative displacement d and slab dip angle, the horizontal component is d times the cosine of the dip and the vertical component is d times the sine of the dip. Both are reported in kilometers.
No. The asthenosphere is predominantly solid but ductile, flowing slowly over geologic time. The deforming mantle in the scene illustrates that behavior.
You can set the relative speed between 1 and 12 cm per year, which spans typical plate-motion rates. The elapsed time readout is in years, with 1 cm per year producing 10 km over a million years.