Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that describes the large-scale motion of the Earth’s lithosphere, which is divided into several rigid plates that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath them. The lithospheric plates are in constant motion, and their interactions at plate boundaries give rise to various geological phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain formation, and the creation of ocean basins.
The theory of plate tectonics explains how these plates move, interact, and undergo processes like subduction, where one plate is forced beneath another, and seafloor spreading, where new oceanic crust is formed. The interactions between these plates are driven by heat from the Earth’s interior, primarily from the radioactive decay of elements, creating convection currents in the mantle that move the plates.
Plate tectonics is a unifying concept in geology that provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the dynamic nature of the Earth’s surface and the geological features and events that occur over geological time scales.
