plate tectonics

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

plate tectonics (uncountable)

1. (geology) The large-scale movement of tectonic plates that contributes to continental drift.
   • 2012, Chinle Miller, In Mesozoic Lands: The Mesozoic Geology of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Kindle edition:

     And of course, in order to understand the Earth's past and how it got to where it now is, it is important to have a basic knowledge of plate tectonics, which explains how the planet's continental and oceanic crusts are part of the lithospheric plates that are buoyant and ride upon the highly viscous asthenosphere.

Related terms

• tectonic plate

Translations

large-scale movement of tectonic plates

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 板塊構造／板块构造 (zh) (bǎnkuài gòuzào)

• Czech: desková tektonika f
• Dutch: platentektoniek (nl) f
• Finnish: laattatektoniikka (fi)
• French: tectonique des plaques (fr) f
• Georgian: ფილების ტექტონიკა (pilebis ṭekṭoniḳa)
• German: Plattentektonik (de) f
• Hungarian: lemeztektonika (hu)
• Irish: teicteonaic phlátaí f
• Italian: tettonica a placche f, tettonica delle placche f
• Polish: tektonika płyt f
• Russian: текто́ника плит f (tektónika plit)
• Spanish: tectónica de placas (es) f
• Swedish: plattektonik (sv) c

Anagrams

• tectonic plates