Plate Tectonics

Latest about plate tectonics

A big tsunami wave crashing on coastal houses

Can solar storms cause tsunamis?

By Elizabeth Rayne published

Solar storms can mess with Earth, but can they kick up a tsunami?

Astronomy
A volcano erupts in Hawaii near the water.

Where are most of Earth's volcanoes?

By Joe Phelan published

There are about 1,350 potentially active volcanoes on Earth. Where are most of these volcanoes located?

Volcanos
A red-gold colored zircon crystal

Oldest evidence of tectonic plates unearthed, sealed in ancient crystals

By Tia Ghose published

The oldest evidence of tectonic plates are sealed in ancient crystals

Geology
An aerial view of damage to Sukuiso, Japan, a week after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the area in March, 2011. Also this isn't likely to happen on the East Coast, it's not inconceivable.

Japan earthquake & tsunami of 2011: Facts and information

By Becky Oskin published

Facts and information about the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan.

Tsunami
Continental drift theory introduced the idea Earth was once a single supercontinent.

Continental Drift: The groundbreaking theory of moving continents

By Becky Oskin published

Continental drift was Alfred Wegener's theory proposing continents move position on the Earth's surface.

Geology
A new study has confirmed a longstanding theory that the Earth's crust was tilted on its side around 84 million years ago.

Earth tipped on its side (and back again) in 'cosmic yo-yo' 84 million years ago

By Harry Baker published

A new study has confirmed a longstanding theory that Earth's crust tilted to the side, and eventually back again, around 84 million years ago.

Geology
3D rendering of Earth showing Europe at night.

Earth has a 'pulse' of 27.5 million years

By Yasemin Saplakoglu published

Most major geological events in Earth's recent history have clustered in 27.5-million-year intervals — a pattern that scientists are now calling the "pulse of the Earth."

Geology
Plate tectonics is the means through which mountains are formed. Image shows rippled gray mountains, mostly treeless, beneath a cloud-studded blue sky. The Baird Mountains in Alaska’s Kobuk Valley National Park formed when two tectonic plates along a convergent boundary collided, causing solid rock to buckle and fold.

What is plate tectonics?

By Tiffany Means published

Blame plate tectonics for Earth’s mountains, earthquakes, volcanoes, and why its continents fit together like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Geology
A microscopic view of a thin piece of polished rock from Jack hills. A gypsum plate on the microscope allowed scientists to see a rainbow spectrum of quartz. Rocks from Jack Hills are 99% quartz, and the remaining 1% includes precious zircons.

Plate tectonics are 3.6 billion years old, oldest minerals on Earth reveal

By Laura Geggel published

The hidden chemistry of ancient zircon crystals has revealed the age of Earth's tectonic plates.

Geology
Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula has been shaken by more than 20,000 earthquakes this week. Scientists expect an imminent volcanic eruption.

Swarm of 20,000 earthquakes could make Iceland's volcanoes erupt

By Brandon Specktor published

A swarm of more than 20,000 earthquakes has rattled southern Iceland this week, and geologists suspect a volcanic eruption is on the way.

Earthquakes
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