Plate tectonics英文清晰版.pdfVIP

Plate tectonics 1 Plate tectonics Plate tectonics (from the Late Latin tectonicus, from the Greek: τεκτονικός [1] pertaining to building) is a scientific theory which describes the large scale motions of Earths lithosphere. The theory builds on the older concepts of continental drift, developed during the first decades of the 20th century (one of the most famous advocates was Alfred Wegener), and was accepted by the majority of the geoscientific community when the concepts of seafloor spreading were developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. lithosphere is broken up into what are called tectonic plates. In the case of the Earth, there are currently seven or eight major (depending on how they are defined) and many minor plates. The lithospheric plates ride on the asthenosphere. These plates move in relation to one another at one of three types of plate boundaries: convergent, or collisional boundaries; divergent boundaries, also called spreading centers; and conservative transform boundaries. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occur along these plate boundaries. The lateral relative movement [2] of the plates varies, though it is typically 0– 100