Plate Tectonics Essay

A plate tectonic is defined as a solid rock mass that builds up the Earth’s surface. The plate tectonic theory is a theory that geologists use to help explain the surface processes and events. The word plate means large pieces of the earth that are always in motion, lithosphere plates. Tectonics means how the continents formed and move over time. This is the theory that most geologists accept as to what happened to our continents. It states that Earth is made up of two layers, the lithosphere, outer, and the inner asthenosphere.

Lithosphere is made up different chemicals and uneven rocks. They are however, very rigid and brittle. The lithosphere is made up of ten major plates. Its major plates are the African, Antarctic, Australian, Eurasian, North American, South American, Pacific, Cocos, Nazca, and Indian. Of course there are also several minor plates. The layer below the lithosphere is the asthenosphere. It is very hot and under a ton of pressure from the rocks on it. Hot asthenosphere rocks pushed through the mantle and made many plates. The plates move in different directions and at different speeds in relation to each other. Most geologists note that the plates move around like cars in a demolition derby, referencing that they crash together at times. Other times they pull apart or bump each other. There is a boundary line where the two plates meet. Boundaries have different names depending on how the two plates are moving with each other. If they are crashing against each other they are Convergent Boundaries. If they are pulling apart from each other they are called Divergent Boundaries. If they are bumping or sideswiping each other they are transform boundaries.
Convergent boundaries occur when two plates slide towards each other. They can also create subduction zones which means that one plates moved under the other. They may also create an orogenic belt which refers to two