Back to category: Technology

Limited version - please login or register to view the entire paper.

Continental Drift

In the early 1960s, the emergence of the theory of plate tectonics started a

revolution in the earth sciences. Since then, scientists have verified and refined this

theory, and now have a much better understanding of how our planet has been shaped by

plate-tectonic processes. We now know that, directly or indirectly, plate tectonics

influences nearly all geologic processes, past and present. Indeed, the notion that the

entire Earth's surface is continually shifting has profoundly changed the way we view

our world.

In geologic terms, a plate is a large, rigid slab of solid rock. The word tectonics

comes from the Greek root "to build." Putting these two words together, we get the term

plate tectonics, which refers to how the Earth's surface is built of plates. The theory of

plate tectonics states that the Earth's o...

Posted by: Jennifer Valles

Limited version - please login or register to view the entire paper.