theory of plate tectonics

Theory of Plate Tectonics

Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into large slabs of solid rock, called “plates,” that glide over Earth's mantle, the rocky inner layer above Earth’s core.

Lithosphere

The lithosphere is the solid, outer part of the Earth, including the brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust.

Tectonic Plates

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

Subduction

Subduction is the process of the oceanic lithosphere colliding with and descending beneath the continental lithosphere.

Mantle

The mantle is the mostly-solid bulk of Earth's interior. The mantle lies between Earth's dense, super-heated core and its thin outer layer, the crust.

by Hanasima Toshiyuki Jr.

Theory of Plate Tectonics

Sources

The Theory of Plate Tectonics

• https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/mantle/#:~:text=The%20mantle%20is%20the%20mostly,84%25%20of%20Earth's%20total%20volume.
• https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/glossary/?term=subduction
• https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/tectonic.html
• https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/lithosphere/
• https://www.livescience.com/37706-what-is-plate-tectonics.html