Plaatpinnale

Plaatpinnale, also known as plate tectonics, is a scientific theory that describes the large-scale motions of Earth's lithosphere. The lithosphere is divided into several large, rigid segments called tectonic plates. These plates float on the more fluid asthenosphere beneath them, and their interactions are responsible for various geological phenomena, including earthquakes, volcanic activity, and the formation of mountains.

The theory of plate tectonics was developed in the 1960s and 1970s, building upon earlier ideas about continental drift. It explains how the Earth's surface is constantly changing due to the movement of these plates. There are seven major plates and several smaller ones. The major plates include the Pacific Plate, North American Plate, Eurasian Plate, African Plate, Antarctic Plate, Indo-Australian Plate, and South American Plate.

The movement of these plates occurs at their boundaries, which can be of three types: divergent, convergent, and transform. Divergent boundaries occur where plates move apart, allowing magma from the mantle to rise and form new crust. Convergent boundaries occur where plates move towards each other, often leading to the subduction of one plate beneath another or the collision of two continental plates. Transform boundaries occur where plates slide past each other horizontally.

Plate tectonics also plays a crucial role in the Earth's carbon cycle and the distribution of continents and oceans over geological time scales. The theory has been extensively supported by various lines of evidence, including the fit of the continents, the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes, and the age and magnetic properties of the ocean floor.