Tectonic plates "float" on top of the mantle, a layer of super-hot, semi-molten rock called magma. Even though the plates move very slowly (about the same speed as your fingernails grow), they are constantly shifting, colliding, and pulling apart, shaping the Earth's landscape over millions of years.
What causes tectonic plates to move?
The movement of tectonic plates is driven by convection currents in the mantle. These currents are caused by heat from the Earth's core. Hot magma rises and cools, creating a circular motion. The plates "ride" on this flowing magma, causing them to drift.
Types of plate boundaries and their effects
When tectonic plates move, they interact in different ways at their edges, called plate boundaries:
Divergent boundaries (moving apart)
Plates pull away from each other.
New crust forms as magma rises to fill the gap.
Example: Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the Atlantic Ocean is slowly getting wider.
Effect: Underwater volcanoes, rift valleys, earthquakes.
Convergent boundaries (colliding)
Plates crash into each other.
One plate might sink under another (subduction) or push up, forming mountains.
Example: The Himalayas, formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates.
Effect: Earthquakes, mountain formation, volcanic eruptions.
Transform boundaries (sliding past each other)
Plates grind against each other in opposite directions.
Example: San Andreas Fault in California.
Effect: Strong earthquakes.
Real-World effects of tectonic plates
Volcanoes: Found along subduction zones and rift valleys.
Earthquakes: Happen when plates suddenly shift or get stuck, then release energy.
Mountains: Form when two continental plates collide and push upward.
Tsunamis: Large ocean waves caused by undersea earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
Fun facts about tectonic plates
Continental drift and Pangaea
Millions of years ago, all the continents were connected in a giant supercontinent called Pangaea. Over time, the plates moved apart, forming the continents we see today. And guess what? They’re still moving! In millions of years, Earth's map will look completely different.
The deepest place on Earth
The Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean is the deepest place on Earth (about 36,000 feet deep!), formed by one plate sinking under another.
Iceland is splitting apart
Iceland is located right on a crack between two tectonic plates, and the island is slowly getting bigger as the plates move apart!
The fastest tectonic plate on Earth
The Cocos Plate (near Central America) moves the fastest—up to 8 inches per year! That’s like a plate race under our feet.
Some plates are breaking apart
The African Plate is slowly splitting in two! In millions of years, it might create a new ocean.
Hawaii is on the move
The Hawaiian Islands were formed by a "hot spot" under the Pacific Plate, which keeps moving, creating new volcanic islands!
Antarctica has volcanoes
Even though it's covered in ice, Antarctica sits on a tectonic plate and has active volcanoes underneath!
Earth used to have more plates
Millions of years ago, Earth had more tectonic plates, but some merged together to form the ones we have today.
You’re standing on a plate!
No matter where you are in the world, you’re standing on a moving tectonic plate right now!
