Plate Tectonics

Plate tectonics is the theory that explains the movement of the Earth's lithosphere (the outermost layer of the Earth) which is divided into several plates that move and interact with each other. The theory was first proposed in the 1960s and has since become widely accepted in the scientific community. The movements of these plates cause geological events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountain ranges.

Plate Boundaries

Faults are an essential component of plate tectonics, as they are the boundaries where the plates meet and interact. There are three main types of plate boundaries:

• Divergent boundaries: where plates move apart
• Convergent boundaries: where plates move towards each other
• Transform boundaries: where plates slide past each other horizontally.

Most earthquakes occur at or near plate boundaries, where the stresses caused by the movement of the plates are released suddenly in the form of seismic waves.

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