Tectonic plates are massive, irregularly shaped slabs of solid rock that make up the Earth’s lithosphere, which includes the crust and the upper part of the mantle. These plates are constantly moving, albeit very slowly, floating on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath them. The interactions of these plates can produce a variety of geological phenomena including earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain building, and oceanic trench formation. The Earth’s lithosphere is divided into major and minor plates, such as the Pacific Plate, North American Plate, Eurasian Plate, and African Plate, among others. The boundaries between these plates are sites of intense geologic activity and are classified into three types: convergent (where plates collide), divergent (where plates move apart), and transform (where plates slide past each other).
Australian researchers have discovered that pink garnet sand on South Australian beaches originates from ancient Antarctic mountains, redefining the known geological history and the formation…
A new study uncovered evidence that splay fault uplift in the Alaskan-Aleutian subduction zone generated additional tsunami activity in half of the last eight earthquakes….
Ancient, vast stretches of continental crust known as cratons have stabilized Earth’s continents for billions of years through shifts in landmasses, mountain formation, and ocean…
Information from igneous zircon molecules gives researchers new insight into the workings of the inner Earth. Little is known about the nature and evolution of…
The first high-precision image of a seismic fault zone transforms our knowledge of earthquakes. The idea that earthquakes release stress by a single strong quake…
Following a period of inactivity, the subduction zone beneath the Strait of Gibraltar will continue to invade the Atlantic Ocean. Oceans undergo constant transformations, often…
Geoscientists have uncovered a missing link in the enigmatic story of how the continents developed—a revised origin story that doesn’t require the start of plate…
Scientists from China and Japan have identified unique features of the flow field in the lower mantle. Through their study of seismic anisotropy in the…
Scientists from Penn State and Brown University suggest that rocks from ancient subduction zones, areas where tectonic plates collide and are forced beneath one another,…
Research indicates that the Pacific Plate is being torn apart at undersea plateaus across the ocean, due to the weight of the oceanic plate subducting…
The Earth’s lithosphere is divided into multiple tectonic plates, which are continuously moving. This movement leads to the formation and fragmentation of supercontinents, alongside the…
Magnetic evidence indicates that the dangerous Seattle fault zone may have originated from the continent’s edge splitting in half over 50 million years ago, offering…
Recent research employing computational simulations predicts that the subduction zone presently beneath the Strait of Gibraltar will extend further into the Atlantic, playing a key…
An accordion-textured clay called smectite efficiently traps organic carbon and could help buffer global warming over millions of years. MIT geologists have found that a…
Recently, a team of scientists involved in NASA’s InSight mission completed an analysis of seismic data recorded on Mars after a meteorite impact that occurred…
Recent research reveals a striking correlation to how life evolved over 500 million years. The movement of rivers, mountains, oceans, and sediment nutrients at the…
Simulations produced by a Brown-led research team offer evidence that Venus once had plate tectonics — a finding that opens the door for the possibility…
Compelling new evidence resolves discrepant interpretations and supports the large size of Greater India. Hundreds of millions of years ago, the surface of the Earth…