There are three kinds of plate tectonic boundaries:

divergent, convergent, and transform plate boundaries.

This image shows the three main types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform. Image courtesy of the
U.S. Geological Survey.

Did You Know?

The Chile triple junction is the only modern site on Earth where an actively spreading mid-ocean ridge crest
is being swallowed by a subduction zone at a continental margin. This is a particularly interesting area to
study because we can observe two types of plate boundaries (divergent and convergent) and their
processes in very close proximity.

A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other.
Along these boundaries, lava spews from long fissures and geysers spurt superheated
water. Frequent earthquakes strike along the rift. Beneath the rift, magmamolten rock
rises from the mantle. It oozes up into the gap and hardens into solid rock, forming new
crust on the torn edges of the plates. Magma from the mantle solidifies into basalt, a dark,
dense rock that underlies the ocean floor. Thus at divergent boundaries, oceanic crust,
made of basalt, is created.
When two plates come together, it is known as a convergent boundary. The impact of
the two colliding plates buckles the edge of one or both plates up into a rugged mountain
range, and sometimes bends the other down into a deep seafloor trench. A chain of

volcanoes often forms parallel to the boundary, to the mountain range, and to the trench.
Powerful earthquakes shake a wide area on both sides of the boundary.
If one of the colliding plates is topped with oceanic crust, it is forced down into the mantle
where it begins to melt. Magma rises into and through the other plate, solidifying into new
crust. Magma formed from melting plates solidifies into granite, a light colored, low-density
rock that makes up the continents. Thus at convergent boundaries, continental crust, made
of granite, is created, and oceanic crust is destroyed.
Two plates sliding past each other forms a transform plate boundary. Natural or humanmade structures that cross a transform boundary are offsetsplit into pieces and carried in
opposite directions. Rocks that line the boundary are pulverized as the plates grind along,
creating a linear fault valley or undersea canyon. As the plates alternately jam and jump
against each other, earthquakes rattle through a wide boundary zone. In contrast to
convergent and divergent boundaries, no magma is formed. Thus, crust is cracked and
broken at transform margins, but is not created or destroyed.

SOCIAL DANCES

Introduction
Social dancing is partner dancing that is informal, relaxed, and danced for the enjoyment of the partners rather than to meet the criteria of a dance school or an audience. Social dancing is danced for enjoyment,
socialization, recreation and health. The test for social dancing success is how much the dance partners have
enjoyed the dance - not how they have danced in the eyes of others or how "correctly" they have danced.
Social dancing has no standardized teaching or learning curriculum. Social dance teachers teach steps and
techniques they have come to prefer or what they hunch their students will prefer. The steps and techniques
taught by one instructor can vary considerably from those taught by someone else. Social dancing is also
dynamic. The types of social dances and styles change with the times.
Social dancing is different for American ballroom dancing which is sometimes called social ballroom
dancing. Ballroom dancing is meant to be danced in ballrooms, and social dancing is suited for dancing on
small or crowded floors, such as dance floors found in restaurants and pubs. If ballroom dancers wish to use
their dancing skills in social dance environments, they do need to change and adapt their style and steps. Tips
on how to adapt ballroom dancing skills to social situations can be found under Floor Craft.

Types of Social Dances

Spot or Slot Dances
Spot or slot social dances are dances a couple dance in one spot or slot. Once a couple establish their
dance spot or slot on the dance floor, they do not drift around the dance floor. Spot or slot dances are best
suited for nightclub type dance floors.
Salsa, Cha-Cha, Rumba, Samba, West Coast and East Coast Swing, Jitterbug, Charleston, Lindy, Blues,
Street Hustle, Nightclub Two Step, Nightclub Freestyle, Tango Nuevo, Neo Tango, Hip Hop and related
dances are examples of spot or slot social dances.
The style of social style spot dances is different from ballroom spot dances of the same name. In the Latin
dances for instance, the steps in social dancing are smaller and the arms are not thrown out in a New Yorker
type flourish as someone else dancing close by may get hit in the face. In general, social spot dances use
compact steps and a compact dance hold where the arms or elbows do not stick out to the side.

Progressive Dances
A progressive dance is a dance that travels around the dance floor in an anti-clockwise
direction. Progressive social dances generally need a somewhat larger floor than those best suited for spot
dancing - a floor size that permits travelling around the dance floor - but not one as large as a dance hall or
ballroom.
Traditional Argentine Tango, Country Two Step, Social Waltz, and Social Foxtrot are examples of progressive
social dances. The close embrace, small steps and absence of embellishments in milonguero style Argentine
Tango makes it well suited to dance progressively on smaller floors.

Adapting to the Dance Space

It is not uncommon to see a progressive and spot social dancers sharing the same floor on the larger social
dance floors. In this case, the progressive dancers dance along the edge of the dance floor while the spot
dancers occupy the centre. For instance, Country Two Step dancers can dance on the edge while Swing
dancers can dance in the centre of the floor.
However, in order to dance a progressive or travelling dance in a small space, it is necessary for progressive
dancing to be customary in that dance place. If spot dancers dominate the space and dance along the edge, a
progressive dancer should not push their way around the dance floor. In these situations, it is best for
everyone to dance a spot dance. A Waltz, for example can be converted to a spot dance by using steps and
patterns based on the box step. Instead on dancing a progressive Foxtrot, dancers can dance Swing or
Freestyle Nightclub. Tango dancers can dance Tango Nuevo or Neo Tango - Tango that uses circular spot
patterns such as the molinete (circular grapevine around the other partner), the calecita (the carousel - a walk
around the other partner) and short walks, rather than the progressive caminar (a progressive walk). Samba
dancers can dance spot Samba patterns and not use progressive/travelling patterns.
The Quickstep, Standard or American Tango and International ballroom style dances in general, are not suited
for small dance floors. When dancing on small floors, dancers trained in ballroom style dancing must learn to
change their style to social style dancing and adapt to the situation. Dancing ballroom style on small dance
floors can be dangerous.

Exogenic processes include geological phenomena and processesthat

originate externally to the Earth's surface. They are genetically related to the
atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, and therefore to processes of
weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition, denudation etc.