“The emergence of plate tectonics is arguably Earth’s defining ... The authors have created a mathematical model for the breaking of the lithosphere into pieces, and it involves the lava ...

The perpetual "slip 'n' slide" motion of the lithosphere on the asthenosphere caused it to fragment into several large sections called tectonic plates. Related: What makes Earth unique?

Dive into the world beneath your feet and discover what tectonic plates are, how they move, and why they're responsible for ...

Tectonic plates are made up of the outermost level, a thin layer of rock known as the crust, plus a sliver of the semi-molten upper mantle; together, this is called the lithosphere. It “floats ...

Below the lithosphere is the asthenosphere — a viscous layer kept malleable by heat deep within the Earth. It lubricates the undersides of Earth's tectonic plates, allowing the lithosphere to move.

This particular section of our planet — comprised of two subsections known as the lithosphere and the asthenosphere — are where tectonic plates shift, causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, as ...

"Plate tectonics is a specific type of mobile lid regime, that is a mantle dynamics regime where the lid (lithosphere) takes part in the convection cell. As such, it is characterized by high ...

Although plate tectonics was originally defined by the kinematics of the Earth’s outer shell (lithosphere) on the underlying asthenosphere, a number of dynamic interpretations for its operation ...

This subduction process frequently occurs because of the two different types of lithosphere that make up tectonic plates: Continental and oceanic. Because oceanic material is denser than ...

“While Venus doesn’t have Earth-style tectonics, these regions of thin lithosphere appear to be allowing significant amounts of heat to escape, similar to areas where new tectonic plates form ...

Tectonic plates are what essentially form Earth's lithosphere, which is the hard and rocky shell of the Earth. These plates all shift as the planet does, constantly moving them in different ...

Tectonic plates are made up of Earth’s crust and the rigid top layer of the mantle, known as the lithospheric mantle. The planet has around a dozen large and irregularly shaped tectonic plates ...