# data[].attributes.body
Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that explains how major landforms are created as a result of Earth's subterranean movements. The theory, which solidified in the 1960s, transformed the earth sciences by explaining many phenomena, including mountain building events, volcanoes, and earthquakes

# data[].attributes.body
tectonic plates are big pieces of the mantel. They are made up of oceanic crust and continental crust. Earthquakes occur around mid-ocean ridges and the large faults which mark the edges of the plates.

# data[].attributes.body
a theory explaining the structure of the earth's crust and many associated phenomena as resulting from the interaction of rigid lithospheric plates which move slowly over the underlying mantle.

# data[].attributes.body
a scientific theory that explains how major landforms are created as a result of Earth's subterranean movements.

# data[].attributes.body
a scientific theory that explains how major landforms are created as a result of Earth's subterranean movements

# data[].attributes.body
The movement of the plates creates three types of tectonic boundaries: convergent, where plates move into one another; divergent, where plates move apart; and transform, where plates move sideways in relation to each other. They move at a rate of one to two inches (three to five centimeters) per year.

# data[].attributes.body
When two plates come together, it is known as a convergent boundary. The impact of the colliding plates can cause the edges of one or both plates to buckle up into a mountain ranges or one of the plates may bend down into a deep seafloor trench.

# data[].attributes.body
If two tectonic plates collide, they form a convergent plate boundary. Usually, one of the converging plates will move beneath the other, a process known as subduction.

# data[].attributes.body
Earth's outer shell (lithosphere) is divided into several plates that glide over the Earth's rocky inner layer above the soft core (mantle)

# data[].attributes.body
Not only is everything evidence for plate tectonics, but plate tectonics explains everything!

# data[].attributes.body
Plate tectonics is a theory that was developed during the 1960's which describes the movement of continents by way of the separation and collision of crustal plates.

# data[].attributes.body
At the “seams” where tectonic plates come in contact, the crustal rocks may grind violently against each other, causing earthquakes and volcano eruptions. The relatively fast movement of the tectonic plates under California explains the frequent earthquakes that occur there.

# data[].attributes.body
the plate tectonics is a scientific theory

that explains how major landforms are created as a result of Earth's subterranean

movements.

# data[].attributes.body
The movement of the plates also causes volcanoes and mountains to form and these can also contribute to a change in climate. Large mountain chains can influence the circulation of air around the globe, and consequently influence the climate. For example, warm air may be deflected to cooler regions by mountains.

# data[].attributes.body
this how one of the many type of plat tencktioniccs

# data[].attributes.body
A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other.

# data[].attributes.body
When two plates come together it is know as convergent plates,but can put plates in the sea floor trench.

# data[].attributes.body
Wind, water, and ice erode and shape the land. Volcanic activity and earthquakes alter the landscape in a dramatic and often violent manner. And on a much longer timescale, the movement of earth's plates slowly reconfigures oceans and continents.

# data[].attributes.body
mountains are formed when plates collide

# data[].attributes.body
Convergent plate .

# data[].attributes.body
About 200 million years ago, all the continents on Earth were actually one huge "supercontinent" surrounded by one enormous ocean. This gigantic continent, called Pangaea , slowly broke apart and spread out to form the continents we know today. All Earth's continents were once combined in one supercontinent, Pangaea.

# data[].attributes.body
The motions of the plates have a tremendous ability to shape and deform rocks through a variety of processes that include folding, faulting, extension, and on a massive scale, mountain building.

# data[].attributes.body
convergent plate boundarys create mountains and volcanos thought two plates colliding together

# data[].attributes.body
In plate tectonics , fragments of crust move independently along the surface of the mantle.

# data[].attributes.body
Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that explains how major landforms are created as a result of Earth's subterranean movement. The theory, which solidified in the 1960s, transformed the earth sciences by explaining many phenomena, including mountain-building events, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Who first proposed the idea of plate tectonics?

What is the cause of plate tectonics?

What is the Ring of Fire, and where is it?

Why are there tectonic plates?

plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of Earth's outer shell-the lithosphere-that revolutionized Earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountain-building processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of Earth's surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans.

The concept of plate tectonics was formulated in the 1960s. According to the theory, Earth has a rigid outer layer, known as the lithosphere, which is typically about 100 km (60 miles) thick and overlies a plastic (moldable, partially molten) layer called the asthenosphere. The lithosphere is broken up into seven very large continental- and ocean-sized plates, six or seven medium-sized regional plates, and several small ones. These plates move relative to each other, typically at rates of 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) per year, and interact along their boundaries, where they converge, diverge, or slip past one another. Such interactions are thought to be responsible for most of Earth's seismic and volcanic activity, although earthquakes and volcanoes can occur in plate interiors. Plate motions cause mountains to rise where plates push together, or converge, and continents to fracture and oceans to form where plates pull apart, or diverge. The continents are embedded in the plates and drift passively with them, which over millions of years results in significant changes in Earth's geography.

The theory of plate tectonics is based on a broad synthesis of geologic and geophysical data. It is now almost universally accepted, and its adoption represents a true scientific revolution, analogous in its consequences to quantum mechanics in physics or the discovery of the genetic code in biology. Incorporating the much older idea of continental drift, as well as the concept of seafloor spreading, the theory of plate tectonics has provided an overarching framework in which to describe the past geography of continents and oceans, the processes controlling creation and destruction of landforms, and the evolution of Earth's crust, atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and climates. During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it became apparent that plate-tectonic processes profoundly influence the composition of Earth's atmosphere and oceans, serve as a prime cause of long-term climate change, and make significant contributions to the chemical and physical environment in which life evolves.

For details on the specific effects of plate tectonics, see the articles earthquake and volcano. A detailed treatment of the various land and submarine relief features associated with plate motion is provided in the articles tectonic landform and ocean.

Principles of plate tectonics

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." The lithosphere rests on and slides over an underlying partially molten (and thus weaker but generally denser) layer of plastic partially molten rock known as the asthenosphere, from the Greek asthenos, meaning "weak." Plate movement is possible because the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is a zone of detachment. As the lithospheric plates move across Earth's surface, driven by forces as yet not fully understood, they interact along their boundaries, diverging, converging, or slipping past each other. While the interiors of the plates are presumed to remain essentially undeformed, plate boundaries are the sites of many of the principal processes that shape the terrestrial surface, including earthquakes, volcanism, and orogeny (that is, formation of mountain ranges).

The process of plate tectonics may be driven by convection in Earth's mantle, the pull of heavy old pieces of crust into the mantle, or some combination of both. For a deeper discussion of plate-driving mechanisms, see Plate-driving mechanisms and the role of the mantle.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Plate tectonics | Definition, Theory, Facts, & Evidence

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of Earth's outer shell that revolutionized Earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountain-building processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of Earth's surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Who first proposed the idea of plate tectonics?

What is the cause of plate tectonics?

What is the Ring of Fire, and where is it?

Why are there tectonic plates?

plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of Earth's outer shell-the lithosphere-that revolutionized Earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountain-building processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of Earth's surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans.

The concept of plate tectonics was formulated in the 1960s. According to the theory, Earth has a rigid outer layer, known as the lithosphere, which is typically about 100 km (60 miles) thick and overlies a plastic (moldable, partially molten) layer called the asthenosphere. The lithosphere is broken up into seven very large continental- and ocean-sized plates, six or seven medium-sized regional plates, and several small ones. These plates move relative to each other, typically at rates of 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) per year, and interact along their boundaries, where they converge, diverge, or slip past one another. Such interactions are thought to be responsible for most of Earth's seismic and volcanic activity, although earthquakes and volcanoes can occur in plate interiors. Plate motions cause mountains to rise where plates push together, or converge, and continents to fracture and oceans to form where plates pull apart, or diverge. The continents are embedded in the plates and drift passively with them, which over millions of years results in significant changes in Earth's geography.

The theory of plate tectonics is based on a broad synthesis of geologic and geophysical data. It is now almost universally accepted, and its adoption represents a true scientific revolution, analogous in its consequences to quantum mechanics in physics or the discovery of the genetic code in biology. Incorporating the much older idea of continental drift, as well as the concept of seafloor spreading, the theory of plate tectonics has provided an overarching framework in which to describe the past geography of continents and oceans, the processes controlling creation and destruction of landforms, and the evolution of Earth's crust, atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and climates. During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it became apparent that plate-tectonic processes profoundly influence the composition of Earth's atmosphere and oceans, serve as a prime cause of long-term climate change, and make significant contributions to the chemical and physical environment in which life evolves.

For details on the specific effects of plate tectonics, see the articles earthquake and volcano. A detailed treatment of the various land and submarine relief features associated with plate motion is provided in the articles tectonic landform and ocean.

Principles of plate tectonics

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." The lithosphere rests on and slides over an underlying partially molten (and thus weaker but generally denser) layer of plastic partially molten rock known as the asthenosphere, from the Greek asthenos, meaning "weak." Plate movement is possible because the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is a zone of detachment. As the lithospheric plates move across Earth's surface, driven by forces as yet not fully understood, they interact along their boundaries, diverging, converging, or slipping past each other. While the interiors of the plates are presumed to remain essentially undeformed, plate boundaries are the sites of many of the principal processes that shape the terrestrial surface, including earthquakes, volcanism, and orogeny (that is, formation of mountain ranges).

The process of plate tectonics may be driven by convection in Earth's mantle, the pull of heavy old pieces of crust into the mantle, or some combination of both. For a deeper discussion of plate-driving mechanisms, see Plate-driving mechanisms and the role of the mantle.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Plate tectonics | Definition, Theory, Facts, & Evidence

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of Earth's outer shell that revolutionized Earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountain-building processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of Earth's surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans.

# data[].attributes.body
The movement of the plates creates three types of tectonic boundaries

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Title: 8 Facts You Need to Know About Tectonic Plates - WorldAtlas

# data[].attributes.body
The movement of the plates creates three types of tectonic boundaries: convergent, where plates move into one another; divergent, where plates move apart; and transform, where plates move sideways in relation to each other.

# data[].attributes.body
The Earths crust and upper mantle below the crust are broken up into large solid plates.

# data[].attributes.body
Plate tectonics shapes global landforms and environments through the rock cycle, mountain building, volcanism, and the distribution of continents and oceans.

# data[].attributes.body
All Earth's continents were once combined in one super-continent, Pangaea. Over millions of years, the continents drifted apart. Sound amazing? Believe it or not, the continents have come together and spread apart at least three times before.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Plate tectonics is the scientific theory that Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving.

# data[].attributes.body
1. a theory explaining the structure of the earth's crust and many associated phenomena as resulting from the interaction of rigid lithospheric plates which move slowly over the underlying mantle.

# data[].attributes.body
In the early 20th century, German researcher Alfred Wegener noted that fossil remains of the

same extinct animal or plant can be found across several continents that are not now adjacent tc

one another.