Plate tectonics - Wikipedia
Earth's lithosphere, the rigid outer shell of the planet including the crust and upper mantle, is fractured into seven or eight major plates (depending on how they are defined) and many minor plates or …
Plate tectonics | Definition, Theory, Facts, & Evidence ...
Dec 23, 2025 · 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, …
Plate Tectonics Map - Plate Boundary Map - Geology.com
The map above shows names and generalized locations of Earth's major tectonic plates. These plates move and interact with one another to produce earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges, ocean …
Plate Tectonics - Education
May 30, 2025 · Oceanic and continental plates come together, spread apart and interact at boundaries all over the planet. Each type of plate boundary generates distinct geologic processes and …
Tectonic Plates - Science Notes and Projects
Feb 10, 2024 · Learn about tectonic plates in geology. Get a tectonic plate map, learn the names of the major plates, and discover the types of boundaries.
Plate Tectonics—The Unifying Theory of Geology
Feb 11, 2020 · Plate tectonics thus provides “the big picture” of geology; it explains how mountain ranges, earthquakes, volcanoes, shorelines, and other features tend to form where the moving plates …
What is a tectonic plate? [This Dynamic Earth, USGS]
A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere.