---
id:"kb-2026-00339"
title:"Plate Tectonics"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"science"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method:"ai_assisted"
ai_models:["claude-opus"]
derived_from_human_seed:true
primary_sources:
  - title:"Plate Tectonics: An Insider's History (Naomi Oreskes)"
    type:"book"
    year:2001
    url:"https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/naomi-oreskes/plate-tectonics/9780813341323/"
    institution:"Westview Press"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "MDN Web Docs — HTTP"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP"
    institution: "Mozilla"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

Plate tectonics (theory accepted 1960s) explains Earth's surface dynamics: the lithosphere is broken into tectonic plates that move on the semi-fluid asthenosphere. Boundaries: divergent (pull apart, mid-ocean ridges), convergent (collide, mountains/trenches), transform (slide past, San Andreas Fault). Drives earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain formation.

## Core Explanation

Historical: Alfred Wegener proposed continental drift (1912) but couldn't explain mechanism. Seafloor spreading (Hess, 1962) + magnetic striping provided evidence. Plates move 1-10 cm/year (fingernail growth speed). Ring of Fire: Pacific boundary with high volcanic and seismic activity. India-Eurasia collision created the Himalayas (ongoing, ~5mm/year uplift).

## Further Reading

- [Plate Tectonics: An Insider's History (Naomi Oreskes)](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/naomi-oreskes/plate-tectonics/9780813341323/)