Feb 11, 2026 · 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.

Plate tectonics came to be accepted by geoscientists after seafloor spreading was validated in the mid- to late 1960s. The processes that result in plates and shape Earth's crust are called tectonics.

Nov 23, 2025 · The theory of plate tectonics is the unifying framework of modern geology. It explains how the Earth’s rigid outer shell — the lithosphere — is divided into large slabs called tectonic plates, …

Jun 8, 2022 · Earth’s outer shell is broken into tectonic plates that move relative to one another. The plates rip apart at divergent plate boundaries, crash together at convergent plate boundaries, and …

Feb 17, 2023 · Thus, plate tectonics is a scientific theory that deals with the large-scale motion of the plates that makes up the Earth’s lithosphere. From the deepest trench of oceans to the highest …

May 21, 2025 · The theory of plate tectonics revolutionized the earth sciences by explaining how the movement of geologic plates causes mountain building, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

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 …