A student designed an experiment to demonstrate the movement of Earth plates. Break a rectangular block of cardboard into two identical pieces.
Put the rough edges of the cardboard pieces together and press them hard.
Make the pieces slide sideways as shown by the arrows below.
Increase the pressure until the cardboard gives a pull and a small piece falls from the crack and makes the cardboard pieces suddenly slide past each other.
Picture showing two cardboard pieces whose rough edges are pressed against each other. The cardboard on the left is sliding down and the cardboard on the right is sliding upwards.

The student's experiment most likely demonstrates how
A earthquakes occur along a fault
B new crusts move at midocean ridges
C tectonic movements cause hotspot volcanism
D mountains are created along cracks in Earth plates