What is Plate Tectonics?

Question

What is Plate Tectonics?

Answer 1

Isn't that the theory of how the continents separated from one large land mass into the way they are today?

Answer 2

plate tectonics are broken up pieces of eath's surface called plates or disks and they move because of heat convection caused by the mantle. they push, slidepast each other, and converge into each other. this is what causes earthquakes because when enough stress is built up, a plate will slip and it will either converge, diverge, or transform. visit this website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tecto...

Answer 3

Plate tectonics is the geological theory that describes the way in which the outer layer of the Earth's surface floats upon a semi-liquid inner layer. It's really a pretty well established description of things.

The outermost part of the Earth's interior is made up of two layers: above is the lithosphere, comprising the crust and the rigid uppermost part of the mantle. Below the lithosphere lies the asthenosphere. Although solid, the asthenosphere has relatively low viscosity and shear strength and can flow like a liquid on geological time scales. The deeper mantle below the asthenosphere is more rigid again. This is, however, not because of cooler temperatures but due to high pressure.

The lithosphere is broken up into what are called tectonic plates —in the case of Earth, there are seven major and many minor plates. The lithospheric plates ride on the asthenosphere. These plates move in relation to one another at one of three types of plate boundaries: convergent or collision boundaries, divergent or spreading boundaries, and transform boundaries. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occur along plate boundaries.

Answer 4

The crust of the Earth is broken up into plates( 7 large and many small).  They are called Tectonic Plates.  These plates are constantly moving, floating on the semi-liquid mantle.  

Convergent boundaries:

Where the edges of the plates come together, they in some cases, form a subduction zone, where one plate slides beneath the other, eg:  the Juan de Fuca plate sliding beneath the North American Plate.  

In other cases, the two plates push the ground upward forming ridges or mountain ranges, eg:  the Indian Plate and the Eurasian plate formed the Himalayas.  

Divergent boundaries:

Other plates move apart, forming rifts between them, eg:  Iceland and the mid-Atlantic rift.  

Transform-fault boundaries:

Others move horizontally to one another, eg:  the San Andreas fault zone separates the Pacific and North American Plates, which are slowly grinding past each other in a roughly north-south motion.

These various types of plate interaction cause earthquakes and volcanoes.