Tectonic studies are important as guides for economic geologists searching for fossil fuels and ore deposits of metallic and nonmetallic resources. An understanding of tectonic principles can help …

Dec 23, 2025 · 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 …

Sep 21, 2012 · There are three kinds of plate tectonic boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform plate boundaries.

May 21, 2025 · 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 …

Jan 8, 2026 · Tectonics is the study of the plates, the forces acting on them, and their motion. NASA has a variety of tectonic data from an assortment of sources, such as synthetic aperture radar …

5 days ago · This includes the movements of the Earth’s tectonic plates that result in the creation, destruction and rearrangement of the Earth’s crust and lithosphere.

A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere.

May 3, 2018 · It explains how the Earth’s rigid outer shell — the lithosphere — is divided into large slabs called tectonic plates, which move slowly over the semi-molten asthenosphere beneath. This …

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.

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 …