plate tectonics

Meanings

1. 1noununcountabletechnical

   The scientific theory that the Earth's hard outer layer is broken into huge slabs that slowly shift, causing earthquakes, volcanoes and mountain building.

   Grammar: Takes a singular verb even though it ends in s: plate tectonics explains earthquakes.

   Patterns

   • the theory of plate tectonics
   • plate tectonics explains something

   Plate tectonics explains why earthquakes happen mostly along certain lines on the map.

   In science class we learned how plate tectonics built the Himalayas.

   The theory of plate tectonics was widely accepted in the 1960s.

2. 2noununcountabletechnical

   The movement of those large rock slabs and the processes it causes, as seen in a particular region or on another planet.

   Grammar: Often used with a place or planet before it: the plate tectonics of the Pacific.

   Patterns

   • the plate tectonics of somewhere

   Geologists study the plate tectonics of the Pacific Ocean floor.

   Some scientists doubt that Mars has any active plate tectonics today.

   The plate tectonics of the region produces frequent tremors.

Common combinations

theory of plate tectonics

The theory of plate tectonics changed how we understand the planet.

plate tectonics explains

Plate tectonics explains why Japan has so many volcanoes.

study plate tectonics

Students study plate tectonics in earth science.

evidence for plate tectonics

Matching fossils on distant continents are evidence for plate tectonics.

modern plate tectonics

Modern plate tectonics relies on satellite measurements.

Synonyms and how they differ

continental drift

Continental drift is the older idea that continents move; plate tectonics is the fuller modern theory that explains how.

crustal movement

Crustal movement is a general phrase for shifts in the Earth's outer layer, without implying the plate theory.

seafloor spreading

Seafloor spreading is one piece of plate tectonics, the creation of new ocean crust at ridges.

Word family

tectonic adjective

relating to the structure and movement of the Earth's crust

tectonics noun

the study of the large-scale structure of the Earth's crust

tectonically adverb

in a way that relates to movements of the crust

tectonic plate noun

one of the large moving slabs of the Earth's crust

Commonly confused: plate tectonics or continental drift?

Practice

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