Tectonic studies are important as guides for economic geologists searching for fossil fuels and ore deposits of metallic and nonmetallic resources. An understanding of tectonic principles can help …

tectonics, scientific study of the deformation of the rocks that make up the Earth’s crust and the forces that produce such deformation.

Earth’s crust, called the lithosphere, consists of 15 to 20 moving tectonic plates. The plates can be thought of like pieces of a cracked shell that rest on the hot, molten rock of Earth’s mantle and fit …

Dec 10, 2025 · This includes the movements of the Earth’s tectonic plates that result in the creation, destruction and rearrangement of the Earth’s crust and lithosphere.

Dec 26, 2025 · Tectonics is the study of the plates, the forces acting on them, and their motion. NASA has a variety of tectonic data from an assortment of sources, such as synthetic aperture radar …

May 21, 2025 · Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that explains how major landforms are created as a result of Earth’s subterranean movements. The theory, which solidified in the 1960s, transformed the …

Very important or urgent (Definition of tectonic from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere.

Where and how humans live can be greatly affected by phenomena influenced by tectonic processes. Hover over or click on the icons to learn more about these Earth system connections.

Sep 29, 2025 · From plate tectonic and deformation processes to mantle evolution and dynamics and melt generation and volcanism, our research spans the range of tectonics and deep crustal processes.