The first step toward learning about plate tectonics is to learn about the Earth's interior structure. This lesson should address both of these topics. This activity is designed for one 1-hour ...

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 ...

This lesson is modified from curriculum developed ... They are not to use plate tectonic terminology. Ask them to write a description of how they identified their plate boundary types.

This volcanic arc delineates the boundary between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates ... interface where the denser Pacific oceanic plate subducts beneath the less dense continental ...

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.

Earth’s surface is constantly shifting, shaped by the slow but powerful movement of tectonic plates. While some plates have persisted for hundreds of millions of years, others have vanished, sinking ...

Now, scientists have uncovered one of these missing pieces—the Pontus plate—shedding new light on Earth’s geological past and how the planet continues to evolve. The Earth’s crust is divided into ...