Earthquakes are caused by the slow deformation of the outer, brittle portions of "tectonic plates", the earth's outermost layer of crust and upper mantle. The largest plates are the Antarctic, Eurasian, and North American plates. The surface of the Earth is divided into 7 major and 8 minor plates. Jared explains how the plates of the earth make volcanoes, earthquakes, and new mountains. The idea that these different 'puzzle pieces,' called tectonic plates, are constantly moving and changing the surface of our Earth is a simplified version of the theory of plate tectonics. When we talk about tectonic or lithospheric plates, we mean the sections into which the lithosphere is cracked. Plates Are Moving Beneath You The basic idea behind plate tectonics is that there are eight major plates on the surface of the Earth. Earth scientists recognize seven to twelve major plates … Most of these earthquakes—and all major earthquakes—can be traced to the movement of tectonic plates. Tectonic Plates are responsible for shaping the earth's crust. Due to the heating and cooling of the rock below these plates, the resulting convection causes the adjacently overlying plates to move, and, under great stress, deform. It causes earthquakes, volcanoes, the rise of mountains etc. Good Luck! California's San Andreas Fault, where the North American and Pacific tectonic plates grind past each other with a mostly horizontal motion, is one famous example of a transform boundary. They constantly move around the planet. The following quiz tests your knowledge on Plate Tectonics. In California there are two plates … An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault.The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. The plates are like the skin of the planet. 3 CONTENT BACKGROUND: The Earth’s Plates Most earthquakes are caused by movements of the Earth’s lithospheric plates and occur at the boundaries between the plates. Are you a teacher? Developed for the ShakeOut by the Southern California Earthquake Center (www.scec.org). Every continent formed rises above the sea due to plate tectonics. Tectonic Landforms and Features. The motions of the plates have a tremendous ability to shape and deform rocks through a variety of processes that include faulting, folding, extension, and on a massive scale, mountain building. There are also bunches of minor plates. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel.. They are most frequent and largest at tectonic plate boundaries where two plates are colliding and/or sliding past one another. WHY EARTHQUAKES HAPPEN IN ALASKAFrom the dramatic Southeast coast to the heights of the Alaska Range and the volcanic islands of the Aleutians, earthquakes build the landscapes that drive Alaska’s rivers, glaciers, and even climate zones. They particularly occur around the margins of the Pacific Plate, for example in New Zealand, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Japan and the Americas, and also along the … Plates are on average 125km thick, reaching maximum thickness below … Plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of Earth’s outer shell that revolutionized Earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountain-building processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of Earth’s surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans. When we say constantly moving, we're talking centimeters each year. Now, as reported in a recent issue of the journal Earth-Science Reviews, scientists are able to precisely recreate the journeys of Earth’s tectonic plates over the last billion years of its history.
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