Tectonics - Wikipedia Tectonic studies are important as guides for economic geologists searching for fossil fuels and ore deposits of metallic and nonmetallic resources An understanding of tectonic principles can help geomorphologists to explain erosion patterns and other Earth-surface features
Plate tectonics | Definition, Theory, Facts, Evidence | Britannica In essence, plate-tectonic theory is elegantly simple Earth ’s surface layer, 50 to 100 km (30 to 60 miles) thick, is rigid and is composed of a set of large and small plates Together, these plates constitute the lithosphere, from the Greek lithos, meaning “ rock ”
What is Tectonic Shift? - NOAAs National Ocean Service Earth’s crust, called the lithosphere, consists of 15 to 20 moving tectonic plates The plates can be thought of like pieces of a cracked shell that rest on the hot, molten rock of Earth’s mantle and fit snugly against one another
Tectonic Plates - Science Notes and Projects Learn about tectonic plates in geology Get a tectonic plate map, learn the names of the major plates, and discover the types of boundaries
Plate Tectonics - National Geographic Society In plate tectonics, Earth’s outermost layer, or lithosphere —made up of the crust and upper mantle—is broken into large rocky plates These plates lie on top of a partially molten layer of rock called the asthenosphere
How Plate Tectonics Shaped the World We Live In What formed wasn’t a single solid shell, but a puzzle of giant pieces—tectonic plates—that would drift, collide, and reshape the surface for billions of years
Plate Tectonics Theory, Diagrams, Boundaries - GEOLOGY. COM Plate tectonics is a theory about how Earth's lithosphere is divided into a series of rigid plates; and, how movements of these plates produce earthquakes, volcanoes, ocean trenches, mountain ranges, and more Watch This Billion-Year Journey of Earth's Tectonic Plates on The New York Times website Click map above to view
What is a tectonic plate? [This Dynamic Earth, USGS] A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere