Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer layer is made up of plates, which have moved throughout Earth's history. The theory explains the how and why behind mountains, volcanoes ...

The tiny Juan de Fuca plate is largely responsible for the volcanoes ... The movement of the plates creates three types of tectonic boundaries: convergent, where plates move into one another ...

Slab pull occurs where older, denser tectonic plates sink into the mantle at subduction zones. As these older sections of plates sink, newer and less dense sections of plate are pulled along behind.

To learn why, where, and how earthquakes happen, you need to familiarize your students with the interior of the Earth and a model called plate tectonics. The engine behind the earthquake machine ...

According to plate tectonics theory, Earth's outer shell is divided into multiple plates that slowly glide over the mantle. This slowly changes Earth's surface over time by merging, or separating ...

LIZ BONNIN: Hi, I’m Liz Bonnin. When we think about plate tectonics, we normally picture erupting volcanos, gigantic mountain ranges like the Himalayas, or terrifying tsunamis and earthquakes ...

All of these processes result from plate tectonics, the movement of enormous chunks of Earth's crust. This movement may be why life exists here. Earth is the only known planet with plate tectonics ...