Editing Triple junction (section)

{{Short description|Meeting point of three tectonic plates}}
{{For|the solar cell configuration|Multi-junction solar cell}}
{{Distinguish|triple point|triple divide}}

[[File:Triplice giunzione RTF casuale.png|thumb|Simplified map of a ridge (R)–trench (T)–transform fault (F) triple junction of tectonic plates A, B, and C, with arrows indicating direction of plate movement]]
A '''triple junction''' is the point where the boundaries of three [[list of tectonic plates|tectonic plates]] meet. At the triple junction each of the three boundaries will be one of three types – a [[mid-ocean ridge|ridge]] (R), [[oceanic trench|trench]] (T) or [[transform fault]] (F) – and triple junctions can be described according to the types of plate margin that meet at them (e.g. fault–fault–trench, ridge–ridge–ridge, or abbreviated F-F-T, R-R-R). Of the ten possible types of triple junctions only a few are [[Triple junction stability|stable]] through time (''stable'' in this context means that the geometrical configuration of the triple junction will not change through geologic time). The meeting of four or more plates is also theoretically possible, but junctions will only exist instantaneously.<ref name="Fowler2005">{{cite book |author1=C. M. R. Fowler |author2=Connie May Fowler |author3=Clarence Mary R. Fowler |title=The Solid Earth: An Introduction to Global Geophysics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PifkAotvTroC&pg=PA26|year=2005 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-58409-8 |page=26}}</ref>