Related topics: earthquake
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.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with tectonic plates
Tremors between slip events: More evidence of great quake danger to Seattle
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 15, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (8) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For most of a decade, scientists have documented unfelt and slow-moving seismic events, called episodic tremor and slip, showing up in regular cycles under the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state and Vancouver ...
From greenhouse to icehouse -- reconstructing the environment of the Voring Plateau
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 15, 2009 |
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The analysis of microfossils found in ocean sediment cores is illuminating the environmental conditions that prevailed at high latitudes during a critical period of Earth history.
New Technology Allows Geophysicist To Test Theory About Formation of Hawaii (w/ Podcast)
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 11, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (4) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- If you've ever been to Hawaii, you probably spent your time enjoying the scenery of the beautiful islands, rather than wondering how they got to be there in the first place. But that's just what scientists ...
New study cites lower rate of quakes along some subduction zones
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 04, 2009 |
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Most earthquakes occur along fault lines, which form boundaries between two tectonic plates. As the relative speed of the plates around a fault increases, is there a corresponding increase in the number of earthquakes produced ...
Superior Super Earths
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 30, 2009 |
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Super Earths are named for their size, but these planets - which range from about 2 to 10 Earth masses - could be superior to the Earth when it comes to sustaining life. They could also provide an answer to ...
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 |
4 / 5 (5) |
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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 |
4 / 5 (1) |
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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 |
4.3 / 5 (7) |
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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 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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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 |
4.3 / 5 (10) |
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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 |
4 / 5 (6) |
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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 |
3.7 / 5 (6) |
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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 ...
