Plate tectonics is a process that Withgott and Laposata (2012) say is of extraordinary importance to the planet. The intense heat from the inner core of Earth sends convection currents that flow in a loop in the mantle. This pushes the mantle’s soft rock upwards as it warms and downward as it cools. As this process takes place, it drags these large plates of lithosphere along the surface. The movement of these plates is known as plate tectonics (Withgott & Laposata, 2012).
Earth’s surface is made up of roughly 15 major tectonic plates that fit together much like that of a puzzle, says Withgott and Laposata (2012). Withgott and Laposata (2012) also explain that these plates are estimated to move one to six inches per year. Though this is a slow movement, it has clearly influenced Earth’s climate and life’s …show more content…
By studying ancient rock formations throughout the world, geologists have been able to determine at least two times in the Earth’s history, its land masses have been combined as one super continent. Withgott and Laposata (2012) say that plate boundaries can be categorized into three different types; divergent plate boundaries, transform plate boundaries, and convergent plate boundaries. With divergent plate boundaries, the tectonic plates are pushed apart from one another as magma flows upward to the surface, creating new crust as it cools down (Withgott & Laposata, 2012). Withgott and Laposata (2012) explain to us, when two plates touch, they often slip and grind alongside one another. This process forms transform plate boundaries, says Withgott and Laposata (2012). When this movement takes place, it can generate friction that is known to cause earthquakes along strike-slip faults, explains Withgott