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The Pacific plate (carrying the city of Los Angeles) is moving northwards with respect to the North American plate. The Queen Charlotte Fault on the Pacific Northwest coast of North America The Motagua Fault , which crosses through Guatemala , is a transform boundary between the southern edge of the North American plate and the northern edge of ...
These smaller plates are often not shown on major plate maps, as the majority of them do not comprise significant land area. For purposes of this list, a minor plate is any plate with an area less than 20 million km 2 (7.7 million sq mi) but greater than 1 million km 2 (0.39 million sq mi).
Plate tectonics (from Latin tectonicus, from Ancient Greek τεκτονικός (tektonikós) ' pertaining to building ') [1] is the scientific theory that the Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 17 January 2025. Linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources ...
Fold mountains form in areas of thrust tectonics, such as where two tectonic plates move towards each other at convergent plate boundary.When plates and the continents riding on them collide or undergo subduction (that is – ride one over another), the accumulated layers of rock may crumple and fold like a tablecloth that is pushed across a table, particularly if there is a mechanically weak ...
Mauna Loa is the classic example, with a slope of 4°-6°. (The relation between slope and viscosity falls under the topic of angle of repose . [ 12 ] ) A composite volcano or stratovolcano has a more steeply rising cone (33°-40°), [ 13 ] because of the higher viscosity of the emitted material, and eruptions are more violent and less frequent ...
These plates, called tectonic plates, can push against each other. Earthquakes are most common along fault lines, which are fractures that allow the plates to move.
In plate tectonics, the outermost part of the Earth known as the lithosphere (the crust and uppermost mantle) act as a single mechanical layer. The lithosphere is divided into separate "plates" that move relative to each other on the underlying, relatively weak asthenosphere in a process ultimately driven by the continuous loss of heat from the ...