Plate Tectonics--A theory that explains the global distribution of geological phenomena such as seismicity, volcanism, continental drift, and mountain building in terms of the formation, destruction, movement, and interaction of the earth's lithospheric plates. Plate tectonics is the reason for many things that happen on earth. It formed Hawaii, created earthquakes, made mountains, and started to split California apart. All of this is occuring right at this moment. It will continue to do this until the end of time. The earth is split into many crustal plates. The plates move into eachother, apart, or or rub together. This can create earthquakes and volcanoes. There is a theory that the Earth just had 1 big continent called Pangea. They started moving apart because of plate tectonics. Scientists created this theory becasase each continent is like a puzzle piece and they all fit together. Another piece of evidence is that South America has fossils on its east coast that are the same as the fossils on the west coast of Africa. Plate tectonics would not be occuring if the Earth was dead. There are 3 types of plate bounderies, converging, diverging, and transversal. Converging are when two plates are coming together. Diverging is when they are separating, and transversal boundaries are when two plates are rubbing against eachother. In converging bounadaries, the sea floor always gose down because it is more dense than continental plates. When 2 continental plates come togetether, they gradually make a mountain. When to oceanic plates come together, the more dense plate submerges.
