Disclaimer

I am not actually traveling to all these places, this is a fictional tour designed to show and describe some of the different types of boundaries.

Intro

Hi, I'm Miles, I live in Seattle, as you've probably heard, it rains a lot here, and although there are beaches, they aren't exactly tropical. So for this trip, I decided to go visit some nice beaches. But I didn't just pick any beaches, each of these locations has a volcano or mountain, and each of them was formed in a different way.The four different types of boundaries I will visit are: Divergent, Subduction, Collision, and Transform. I will explain what each of those means when I get there. I will make a new post for each place I visit, I hope you enjoy watching my vacation!

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Morro Rock, CA

Morro rock is the first underwater volcano that we will look at today. It is 581 feet tall. It was formed about 23 million years ago when two tectonic plates pulled apart (divergent boundary), and lava comes up, as it meets the water, it turns into rock. If it is on one side of the boundary, it will go that direction, but the other side will go the other way, so it ends up building up all the way to the surface. It occurs along a divergent boundary.
It is part of the series of extinct volcanoes called the Nine Sisters. Morro rock is the plug for the volcano beneath it.
We stay at the Bungalow Inn, near the rock. The sunset silhouettes the rock, with birds flying around it. The rock reflects in the dark blue water, along with the clouds. After watching the beautiful sunset, we walk back to the Inn along the beach. The rooms are pretty nice, with the windows open, a nice warm breeze constantly flows through the room, carrying with it the salty scent of the ocean.

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Chances peak, Montserrat, Caribbean

This is the second underwater volcano we will look at. It was formed when the Atlantic plate subducted under the North American plate. This caused the build up of pressure to form a volcano. It is in the middle of the Caribbean.  Before 1995 it had been dormant for over 300 years. In 1995 the volcano began to give off warning signs of an eruption (small earthquakes and eruptions of dust and ash). Once Chances Peak had woken up, it then remained active for five years. It formed at first underwater, but as more and more lava built up, it became an island.
We are staying at Hermitage Bay, a very luxurious hotel just across the bay from Chances peak. The sun is out, coloring the ocean a light transparent blue, so we can see all the way to the bottom of the sea form the plane. Our island is almost completely covered by trees, except for the spots along the beach where there are houses. There is a short boat ride from the hotel to the peak, but it is worth it. On the way we see a pod of dolphins swim under the boat! This hotel is significantly nicer than the last one, definitely worth the extra $1300 it took to stay here.

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La Bucería Panama

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a hotel on this island, so we are camping for the night. I stay near a city called La Bucería, it's near a Transform boundary. A transform  boundary is when two tectonic plates grate against each other.This causes severe earthquakes, and most frequently occurs in the middle of the ocean along parts of a divergent fault.

When I arrive at the campsite, I can see the sun setting out over the calm sea, lighting the water with its orange rays. The sand on the beach just down a short trail has soft white sand. There are tropical trees all around us, the campsite is in the middle of a forest. It is hotter than it was in either of the other two locations, the air is thick and still, making it a little harder to breathe. I set up my tent, so i don't have to worry about it when it is all the way dark, put on my swimsuit, and go swimming in the cool refreshing water. After swimming around a little, I am ready to go back to bed.

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The Alps

We fly past the Alps, looming above all the surrounding land, a belt of mountains seeming to scrape the sky. A small group of clouds is pierced by the sharp peaks covered in a blanket of snow. The alps were formed by the collision of the African and Eurasian continental plates. When two continental plates collide, forcing the mountain to rise. The Alps are one of these collisions, and are still rising today.
I stay at the Lakeside Apartments, which as you can probably guess, is right next to a lake, with a stunning view of the alps. The water in the lake is quite cold, but the pools is nice and warm. I have a luxurious balcony, that extends out towards the calm water of the lake. As the sun sets over the mountains, a few sailboats go to the middle to watch it set, then eventually return back to their docks. After sitting outside in the warm summer air for a few hours, enjoying the smooth breeze flowing across the water, I go back into my room for bed.

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