"Plate tectonics is the scientific theory that Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates which have been slowly moving since about 3.4 billion years ago."
The study of the processes that cause deformation of planetary crusts, such as plate tectonics on Earth.
Plate Tectonics: The study of the movement, deformation, and interaction of tectonic plates in the Earth's crust and upper mantle.
Geological Time Scale: The timeline of the Earth's history, including the major epochs, eras, and periods, based on the study of the rock record.
Planetary Formation: The process by which planets and other bodies in the solar system formed, including the accretion of dust and gas, and the role of impacts and tectonic activity.
Terrestrial Planets: The four inner planets of the solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) that are characterized by their rocky surfaces and interiors.
Solar System Dynamics: The study of the motions, interactions, and evolution of the bodies in the solar system, including the effects of gravity and orbital mechanics.
Crustal Evolution: The history of the Earth's crust and how it has changed over time due to plate tectonics, erosion, and other processes.
Volcanism: The study of volcanic eruptions and their effects on the Earth's crust and atmosphere, including the formation of new landforms and the release of gases and ash.
Seismology: The study of earthquakes and seismic waves, including the causes and effects of these events, and the use of seismic data to study the Earth's interior.
Geological Hazards: The identification and mitigation of natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and tsunamis, which can have catastrophic effects on human populations.
Astrobiology: The study of life in the universe and the conditions that are necessary for its existence, including the search for habitable planets and the development of life on Earth.
Plate tectonics: This is the most widely known form of tectonics. It is the study of the movement of the Earth's lithospheric plates, which make up the outer shell of the planet. Plate tectonics explains how the Earth's surface is constantly changing due to the movement of these plates.
Fault tectonics: Fault tectonics is the study of the formation, evolution, and behavior of different types of faults. Faults are areas where rocks have cracked and moved relative to each other, leading to a variety of geological phenomena.
Gravity tectonics: Gravity tectonics is the study of the movement of sedimentary rocks due to gravity. It explains how slopes and basins are formed, and how they change over time.
Thrust tectonics: Thrust tectonics studies the deformation of rocks that occurs when compressive forces act on them. It is associated with mountain building and is responsible for the formation of many of the world's mountain ranges.
Extensional tectonics: Extensional tectonics is the study of the processes that pull rocks apart. This leads to the formation of rift valleys, basins, and other geological features.
Contractional tectonics: Contractional tectonics is the study of deformation that results from the shortening of rock layers. The geological phenomena associated with contractional tectonics include folding and thrusting.
Orogenic tectonics: This type of tectonics relates to the geological phenomena that occur when continents collide. It leads to the formation of mountain ranges and other significant geological features.
Transform tectonics: Transform tectonics is the study of the movement of lithospheric plates along a transform boundary. Transform boundaries are areas where two plates move past each other horizontally.
Subduction tectonics: Subduction tectonics is the study of the process by which one plate is forced beneath another due to density differences. This leads to the formation of volcanic arcs and deep ocean trenches.
Igneous tectonics: Igneous tectonics relates to the processes involved in the formation of igneous rocks. This includes the formation of magma chambers, the eruption of volcanoes, and the cooling and solidification of magma.
"The model builds on the concept of continental drift, an idea developed during the first decades of the 20th century."
"Plate tectonics came to be accepted by geoscientists after seafloor spreading was validated in the mid-to-late 1960s."
"Earth's lithosphere is broken into seven or eight major plates."
"Where the plates meet, their relative motion determines the type of plate boundary: convergent, divergent, or transform."
"Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occur along these plate boundaries."
"The relative movement of the plates typically ranges from zero to 10 cm annually."
"Tectonic plates are composed of the oceanic lithosphere and the thicker continental lithosphere, each topped by its own kind of crust."
"Along convergent plate boundaries, the process of subduction, or of one plate moving under another, carries the edge of one plate down under the other plate and into the mantle."
"The lost surface is balanced by the formation of new oceanic crust along divergent margins by seafloor spreading."
"This process of plate tectonics is also referred to as the conveyor belt principle."
"Tectonic plates are able to move because Earth's lithosphere has greater mechanical strength than the underlying asthenosphere."
"Plate movement is driven by a combination of the motion of the seafloor away from spreading ridges due to variations in topography and density changes in the crust."
"At subduction zones, the relatively cold, dense oceanic crust sinks down into the mantle forming the downward convecting limb of a mantle cell. This is the strongest driver of the plates."
"The relative importance of other proposed factors such as active convection, upwelling and flow inside the mantle, and tidal drag of the moon, and their relationship to each other is still the subject of debate."