A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock,

generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithospheres. Plate size can vary greatly, from a few
hundred to thousands of kilometers across; the Pacific and Antarctic Plates are among the largest. Plate
tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle,
the rocky inner layer above the core. The plates act like a hard and rigid shell compared to Earth's
mantle. This strong outer layer is called the lithosphere, which is 100 km (60 miles) thick, according to
Encyclopedia Britannica. The lithosphere includes the crust and outer part of the mantle. Below the
lithosphere is the asthenosphere, which is malleable or partially malleable, allowing the lithosphere to
move around. How it moves around is an evolving idea.

History

Developed from the 1950s through the 1970s, plate tectonics is the modern version of continental drift,
a theory first proposed by scientist Alfred Wegener in 1912. Wegener didn't have an explanation for
how continents could move around the planet, but researchers do now. Plate tectonics is the unifying
theory of geology, said Nicholas van der Elst, a seismologist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty
Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York.

"Before plate tectonics, people had to come up with explanations of the geologic features in their region
that were unique to that particular region," Van der Elst said. "Plate tectonics unified all these
descriptions and said that you should be able to describe all geologic features as though driven by the
relative motion of these tectonic plates."

There are nine major plates, according to World Atlas. These plates are named after the landforms
found on them. The nine major plates are North American, Pacific, Eurasian, African, Indo-Australian,
Australian, Indian, South American and Antarctic.

The largest plate is the Pacific Plate at 39,768,522 square miles (103,000,000 square kilometers). Most
of it is located under the ocean. It is moving northwest at a speed of around 2.75 inches (7 cm) per year.

North American Plate

The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, the
Bahamas, extreme northeastern Asia, and parts of Iceland and the Azores. With an area of 76 million
km², it is the Earth's second largest tectonic plate, behind the Pacific Plate

Pacific Plate

The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At 103 million km²,
it is the largest tectonic plate. The Pacific Plate contains an interior hot spot forming the Hawaiian
Islands.

Eurasian Plate
 The Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate which includes most of the continent of Eurasia (a landmass
consisting of the traditional continents of Europe and Asia), with the notable exceptions of the Indian
subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent, and the area east of the Chersky Range in East Siberia.

African Plate

The African Plate is a major tectonic plate straddling the Equator as well as the prime meridian. It
includes much of the continent of Africa, as well as oceanic crust which lies between the continent and
various surrounding ocean ridges.

Indo- Australian Plate

The Indo-Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes the continent of Australia and
surrounding ocean, and extends northwest to include the Indian subcontinent and adjacent waters. It
was formed by the fusion of Indian and Australian plates approximately 43 million years ago

Australian Plate

The Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate in the eastern and, largely, southern hemispheres.
Originally a part of the ancient continent of Gondwana, Australia remained connected to India and
Antarctica until approximately 100 million years ago when India broke away and began moving north.

Indian Plate

The Indian Plate or India Plate is a minor tectonic plate straddling the Equator in the Eastern
Hemisphere. Originally a part of the ancient continent of Gondwana, India broke away from the other
fragments of Gondwana 100 million years ago and began moving north.

South American Plate

The South American Plate is a major tectonic plate which includes the continent of South America as
well as a sizable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the African Plate, with which
it forms the southern part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Antarctic Plate

The Antarctic Plate is a tectonic plate containing the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau
and extending outward under the surrounding oceans.

Plate boundaries are important because they are often associated with earthquakes and volcanoes.
When Earth's tectonic plates grind past one another, enormous amounts of energy can be released in
the form of earthquakes.