When Tectonic Plates Collide

Tectonic plates on top of the crust are giant plates of land that fit together like puzzle pieces. When two tectonic plates collide these events can happen: folding, faulting, dip slips, and strike slips.

Folding is when two plates push against each other. This creates a massive bulge that sends out ripples, earthquakes.

Faults in a plate are usually parallel. They go up and down on a part of the tectonic plate called the fault zone. Around the world, many fault zones can be found. Two types of faults are dip slips and strike slips.  

Dip slips happen when two pieces of land change their vertical positions. The result is that one side is higher than the other.

Strike slips happen when two pieces of land move horizontally against each other. One example is the famous San Andreas Fault which is located in California.