Home » Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics

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

What is Plate Tectonics?

Plate tectonics is a theory about how Earth's lithosphere is divided into a series of rigid plates; and, how movements of these plates produce earthquakes, volcanoes, ocean trenches, mountain ranges, and more.

Plate Tectonics Animation

Watch This Billion-Year Journey of Earth's Tectonic Plates on The New York Times website. Click map above to view.

Teaching Tectonics

Teaching Plate Tectonics with easy-to-draw illustrations is fun and effective.

Plate Tectonics Map

Plate Tectonics Map of the world, showing plates, boundaries, boundary types and more.

What Is The Moho?

What Is The Moho? Learn about the Mohorovicic Discontinuity.

San Andreas Article

What is the San Andreas Fault? Map, photos and description of the fault.

Great Rift Valley

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

Gifts That Rock

Gifts That Rock - What are the most popular gift items in the Geology.com store?

Tsunami Causes

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

Japan Earthquake

The Japan Earthquake shifted Earth*s mass resulting in a shorter day.

Hawaiian Hot Spot

How did the Hawaiian Islands Form? The power of a moving plate over a stationary hot spot.

The Largest Earthquake

The Largest Earthquake ever recorded was a 9.5 magnitude event in 1960 in Chile

Types Of Eruptions

Types of Volcanic Eruptions - A description of the most common eruption types.

New Madrid

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

Pacific Tsunamis

Pacific Tsunamis This ocean is surrounded by plate boundaries, that can produce tsunamis.

Lo'ihi Seamount

The Next Hawaiian Island could be growing in the Pacific Ocean right now. Its name is Lo'ihi.

Indian Ocean Tsunamis

Indian Ocean Tsunamis Deadly tsunamis triggered by earthquakes and volcanoes.

Geology Tools

Geology Tools - Rock hammers, field bags, hand lenses, maps, hardness picks, gold pans.