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
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 ...
Superior Super Earths
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
17 hours ago |
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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 ...
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.
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 ...
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 ...
Solomon Islands earthquake sheds light on enhanced tsunami risk
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 09, 2009 |
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The 2007 Solomon Island earthquake may point to previously unknown increased earthquake and tsunami risks because of the unusual tectonic plate geography and the sudden change in direction of the earthquake, ...
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.
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 ...
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.
Research links seismic slip and tremor, with implications for subduction zone
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jan 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In the last decade, scientists have recorded regular episodes of tectonic plates slowly, quietly slipping past each other in western Washington and British Columbia over periods of two weeks or more, releasing ...
Trapped water cause of regular tremors under Vancouver Island
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 31, 2008 |
4 / 5 (6) |
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University of British Columbia researchers are offering the first compelling evidence to explain regular tremors under Vancouver Island.
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 ...
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 ...
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.
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 ...
