Dyvan S.

Geronimo
Tectonic Plates

 The concept of plate tectonics was formulated in the

1960s. According to the theory, Earth has a rigid
outer layer, known as the lithosphere,
which is typically about 100 km (60 miles) thick
and overlies a plastic (moldable, partially molten) layer
called the asthenosphere.
A c c o r d i n g to the plate tectonic theory,
t he uppermost mantle, along with the overlying crust,
behaves as a strong, rigid layer; the lithosphere
Tectonic Plates

 Plate Tectonics – the theory that proposes

that Earth’s lithosphere consists of individual
plates that interact in various ways producing
earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, and the
crust itself.
 Li t ho sph e re f r o m t h e g r ee k wo r d l i th o s
means rock, and Asthenosphere from the
greek word asthenos means weak.
Tectonic Plates

• Plate movement is possible because the lithosphere-

asthenosphere boundary is a zone of detachment. As the
lithospheric plates move across Earth’s surface, driven
by forces as yet not fully understood, they interact
along their boundaries, diverging, converging, or slipping
past each other. While the interiors of the plates are
presumed to remain essentially undeformed, plate
boundaries are the sites of many of the principal processes
that shape the terrestrial surface, including earthquakes,
volcanism, and formation of mountain ranges.
Tectonic Plates

• Plate – segment of the lithosphere, which moves

and continually changes shape.

• The plates move relative to each other at a very

slow rate ~5 cm/yr (about the same rate your
fingernails grow!
Types of Plate Boundaries