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Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics Articles, Theory, Plate Diagrams, Maps, Teaching Ideas

Mariana Trench

Exploring the Mariana Trench: A robotic vehicle dives 6.8 miles down - a new world record!

San Andreas Map

Google Map of the San Andreas Fault: Zoom in to see the fault trace plotted atop of a map or satellite images.

Great Rift Valley

The East Africa Rift System: Learn about the East Africa Rift.

San Andreas Article

What is the San Andreas Fault? Map, photos and description of the fault by Dr. David Lynch.

Tsunami Causes

What Causes a Tsunami? Learn how plate motions trigger earthquakes and tsunamis.

Volcanoes

Volcanoes: A page that links to all of our volcano articles and to the best volcano information that we could find.

If it is not grown, it is mined.

Salton Sea Earthquake

San Andreas Fault Hazard: Faults transfer strain below the Salton Sea.

Carbonatite Lava

Carbonatite Lava Flows at Oldoinyo Lengai: These carbon dioxide-rich lavas are some of the most fluid in the world. They flow like motor oil.

Teaching Tectonics

Teaching Plate Tectonics with Easy-to-Draw Illustrations: Most students love to draw and are visual learners. Take advantage of that in a draw-with-me lesson.

Guatemala Jade

Tectonic History In Jade: Dates of metamorphism and fault motion locked in jade.

Oil is found first in the mind.

Supervolcano In Italy

Supervolcano in Italy: A fossil supervolcano beneath the Italian Alps.

Pacific Tsunami Threat

Pacific Tsunami Threat: Alaska earthquakes can impact the Pacific Basin.

New Madrid

New Madrid Seismic Zone: An earthquake hazard review for the NMSZ..

Drilling To The Moho

Drilling to Earth's Mantle: New technology might make drilling to the Moho possible.

Age Of The Andes

How Old Are The Andes Mountains? New research suggests that the growth of the Andes Mountains began much earlier than 7 MYA.

Magma Formation

Depth of Magma Formation in Subduction Zones: Chlorite reveals the depth of magma formation in subuction zones.

What Is The Moho?

What is the Moho? Learn about the Mohorovicic Discontinuity.

The present is the key to the past.

Plate Tectonic News

Port-au-Prince: Rebuild or Relocate?: When a city is severely affected by a...

New View on Jurassic Primate Evolution: Michael Heads, Ph.D., of the Buffalo Museum of...

GSA Gives Free Access to Enriquillo-Plaintain Fault Papers: "In response to the recent, tragic earthquake that...

United States Earthquake Risk: The Cascadia subduction zone along the United States...

1960: Bathyscaphe Trieste Visits Challenger Deep: January 23 marks the 50th anniversary of Don...

Topographic Map of Port-au-Prince Bay: The topography of Haiti's Port-au-Prince Bay area belies...

Haiti: Earthquakes and Complex Faults: "The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that triggered disastrous destruction...

Convection within Saturn's Moon Enceladus?: Blobs of warm ice that periodically rise to...

Gulf of Corinth Rift, Greece: The Gulf of Corinth rift which runs through...

M 6.5 Offshore California Earthquake: "This earthquake occurred approximately 35 km WNW of...

Plate Boundaries

Zoom In On Plate Boundaries: Explore divergent, convergent and transform plate boundaries with satellite images and maps.

Geology underlies it all.