Examine the map above and answer each of the following questions - Leaving Cert Geography - Question A - 2016

X refers to the Eurasian Plate, which is the tectonic plate on which Ireland is situated.

In the context of plate tectonics, a plate is a large, rigid slab of the Earth's lithosphere that moves and interacts with other plates. The movements of these plates can cause geological phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountain ranges.

At point Y, the plates are colliding. This can occur at convergent boundaries where two tectonic plates move towards each other.

The ocean ridge running north from B along the plate boundary is known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge or North Atlantic Ridge.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge was formed by the process of seafloor spreading, where magma rises from the mantle at divergent boundaries, creating new oceanic crust as the tectonic plates pull apart.

Two other landforms that result from the movement of tectonic plates are mountain ranges, such as the Himalayas formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, and ocean trenches, like the Mariana Trench, which forms at convergent boundaries.