Search results
Plate tectonics (from Latin tectonicus, from Ancient Greek τεκτονικός (tektonikós) 'pertaining to building') is the scientific theory that Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago.
A map of the tectonic plates of the earth showing the different boundary types in different colors. Locations where plates collide (convergent boundaries) are shown in red. Locations where plates are spreading (divergent boundaries) are shown in yellow. And, locations where plates are sliding past one another are shown in orange.
Jun 12, 2024 · Plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of Earth’s outer shell that revolutionized Earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountain-building processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of Earth’s surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans.
Mar 7, 2024 · Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that explains how major landforms are created as a result of Earth’s subterranean movements. The theory, which solidified in the 1960s, transformed the earth sciences by explaining many phenomena, including mountain building events, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
May 26, 2021 · Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into large slabs of solid rock, called “plates,” that glide over Earth's mantle, the rocky inner layer above Earth’s core....
Oct 19, 2023 · Tectonic plates, the massive slabs of Earth’s lithosphere that help define our continents and ocean, are constantly on the move. Plate tectonics is driven by a variety of forces: dynamic movement in the mantle, dense oceanic crust interacting with the ductile asthenosphere, even the rotation of the planet.
Key points: Earth’s lithosphere, or outermost shell, is broken up into large pieces called tectonic plates. These plates move slowly over the asthenosphere, a layer of softer rock below the lithosphere. On average, tectonic plates move a few centimeters per year. The place where two plates meet is called a plate boundary.
