Tectonic Plates Definition
Tectonic plates are slowly moving pieces of Earth's crust. For example, there are oceanic and continental plates.
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Tectonic Plates
Fun Facts
- Tectonic plates move at about the speed that fingernails grow.
- Scientists believe tectonic plates move from 2-15 cm a year.
- Pangea was a supercontinent formed by tectonic plates being connected.
Why Do We Need To Know About Tectonic Plates
Studying tectonic plates helps us understand natural disasters better and why it’s important to try and predict them. Tectonic plates are big pieces of the Earth’s crust that move around. When they move, they can cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Scientists like geologists, seismologists, and volcanologists study these movements to help protect people by predicting when and where these disasters might happen.
This knowledge isn’t just useful for understanding Earth. Scientists studying other planets, like Mars, also use what we know about tectonic plates. The movement of these plates is caused by heat deep inside the Earth, and studying this can help us in many ways, from being better prepared for disasters to learning about the Earth’s past. This shows how important and useful it is to study tectonic plates for different kinds of science.
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