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Plate tectonics (from Latin tectonicus, from Ancient Greek τεκτονικός (tektonikós) 'pertaining to building') [1] is the scientific theory that Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago.
The continued convergence of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate results in mega earthquakes. These seismic events can reach greater than MW 8 and result in intense damage to infrastructure. The mid-crustal ramp in the Himalayas is a key geologic feature in the history for both long-term and short-term seismic processes linked to ...
This is due to Earth's high erosional rates and the subduction and subsequent destruction of tectonic plates throughout its 4.5 Ga history. [12] Furthermore, during its existence the primordial crust is thought to have been regularly broken and re-formed by impacts involving other planetesimals. [13]
This diamond is a mineral from within an igneous or metamorphic rock that formed at high temperature and pressure. The rock cycle is a basic concept in geology that describes transitions through geologic time among the three main rock types: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. Each rock type is altered when it is forced out of its ...
Orogeny (/ ɒ ˈ r ɒ dʒ ə n i /) is a mountain-building process that takes place at a convergent plate margin when plate motion compresses the margin. An orogenic belt or orogen develops as the compressed plate crumples and is uplifted to form one or more mountain ranges. This involves a series of geological processes collectively called ...
Mantle convection, the process that drives plate tectonics, is a result of heat flow from the Earth's interior to the Earth's surface. [55]: 2 It involves the creation of rigid tectonic plates at mid-oceanic ridges. These plates are destroyed by subduction into the mantle at subduction zones.
The earliest identifiable fossils consist of stromatolites, which are microbial mats formed in shallow water by cyanobacteria. The earliest stromatolites are found in 3.48 billion-year-old sandstone discovered in Western Australia. [43] [44] Stromatolites are found throughout the Archean [45] and become common late in the Archean.
The Indian plate and the Australian plate are now separated by the Capricorn plate and its diffuse boundaries. [44] During the opening of the Indian Ocean, the Kerguelen hotspot first formed the Kerguelen Plateau on the Antarctic plate c. 118 to 95 Ma and then the Ninety East Ridge on the Indian plate at c. 100 Ma . [ 45 ]