Plate tectonics
hidePlate tectonics (from the Greek τέκτων; tektōn, meaning "builder" or "mason") describes the large scale motions of Earth's lithosphere. The theory encompasses the older concepts of continental drift, developed during the first decades of the 20th century by Alfred Wegener, and seafloor spreading, understood during the 1960s.
The lithosphere is broken up into what are called tectonic plates. In the case of Earth, there are currently eight major and many minor plates (see list below). The lithospheric plates ride on the asthenosphere. These plates move in relation to one another at one of three types of plate boundaries: convergent, or collisional boundaries; divergent boundaries, also called spreading centers; and transform boundaries. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occur along plate boundaries. The lateral movement of the plates is typically at speeds of 50–100 mm annually.
For more information about Plate tectonics, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with tectonic plates
Giant impact near India -- not Mexico -- may have doomed dinosaurs
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 15, 2009 |
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A mysterious basin off the coast of India could be the largest, multi-ringed impact crater the world has ever seen. And if a new study is right, it may have been responsible for killing the dinosaurs off 65 ...
Killer earthquakes shake scientific thought
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 11, 2009 |
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A sudden cluster of massive earthquakes which has shaken Asia-Pacific communities and likely left thousands dead has also jolted some scientists, who are starting to question conventional thought.
Australian continent to blame for Samoa, Sumatra quakes
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The recent earthquakes in the Pacific and Indonesia have one University of Queensland researcher questioning whether the two are related.
Taiwan scientist develops earthquake alarm
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 16, 2009 |
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A Taiwanese scientist has developed an earthquake alarm that could give people a crucial 15-second warning in case of a tremor, one of his team said Wednesday.
First complete image created of Himalayan fault, subduction zone
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 11, 2009 |
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An international team of researchers has created the most complete seismic image of the Earth's crust and upper mantle beneath the rugged Himalaya Mountains, in the process discovering some unusual geologic ...
Asia-Pacific quakes herald a disaster? Experts say no
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Aug 23, 2009 |
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Powerful earthquakes that have jolted Asia recently do not presage a disaster, although it is only a matter of time before the next catastrophe befalls the quake-prone region, seismologists say.
Water in Earth's mantle may be associated with subduction
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Aug 19, 2009 |
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A team of scientists from Oregon State University has created the first global three-dimensional map of electrical conductivity in the Earth's mantle and their model suggests that that enhanced conductivity ...
New data: Mega-quake could strike near Seattle
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Aug 16, 2009 |
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Using sophisticated seismometers and GPS devices, scientists have been able to track minute movements along two massive tectonic plates colliding 25 miles or so underneath Washington state's Puget Sound basin. Their early ...
Shaking the Earth: How Water Helps Tectonic Plates Slide in New Zealand
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Aug 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- New Zealand is the site of one of the world’s youngest subduction zones, where the Pacific Plate of Earth’s crust dives beneath the Australian Plate. Now, a University of Utah study shows ...
Oxidized lava may help explain Earth's evolution
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 30, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Material from volcanoes where the Earth's plates squeeze together is more oxidized than in regions where the seafloor splits apart, a finding that helps shed light on some of the basic processes in ...
Jade sheds light on Guatemala's geologic history
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jul 27, 2009 |
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The shifting of tectonic plates in Central America has been poorly understood -- until now. New research on jade found along fault lines in Guatemala is helping geologists piece the puzzle of the past 130 million years.
Natural deep earth pump fuels earthquakes
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 18, 2009 |
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For the first time scientists have discovered the presence of a natural deep earth pump that is a crucial element in the formation of ore deposits and earthquakes.
New study closes in on geologic history of Earth's deep interior
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 15, 2009 |
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By using a super-computer to virtually squeeze and heat iron-bearing minerals under conditions that would have existed when the Earth crystallized from an ocean of magma to its solid form 4.5 billion years ...
Fingerprinting slow earthquakes (w/Podcast)
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The most powerful earthquakes happen at the junction of two converging tectonic plates, where one plate is sliding (or subducting) beneath the other. Now a team of researchers, led by Teh-Ru ...
Earthquake waves: How do they spread?
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 13, 2009 |
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Propagation of earthquake waves within the Earth is not uniform. Experiments indicate that the velocity of shear waves (s-waves) in Earth’s lower mantle between 660 and 2900 km depth is strongly dependent on the orientation ...
