Tectonicsi

Tectonicsi is a field of geoscience that studies the large-scale tectonic processes that shape the rigid outer shells of planetary bodies. It encompasses the mechanisms of crust formation, deformation, and destruction, including plate interactions, faulting, subduction, rifting, and mountain building. The term is used to refer to an integrated framework that combines plate tectonics with mantle dynamics and crustal rheology to explain surface geology and geophysical signals.

Researchers in tectonicsi combine field observations, laboratory experiments on rock mechanics, and numerical modeling with data from seismology, geodesy, magnetometry, and remote sensing. Modern tectonicsi often relies on GPS and InSAR to measure crustal motions, seismic tomography to image mantle structures, and thermomechanical modeling to simulate deformation under varying temperatures and compositions.

While rooted in Earth sciences, tectonicsi applies to other planetary bodies such as Mars, Venus, the Moon, and icy satellites, where tectonic-like processes produce surface features. Key topics include plate tectonics and lithospheric dynamics, mantle convection and lithospheric rheology, crustal deformation and fault systems, orogeny and mountain belts, seismicity and hazard assessment, and the evolution of planetary crusts.

Origin and conceptual development trace to the expansion of plate tectonics theory in the 20th century, and tectonicsi aims to provide a unifying perspective for observations across scales, from microscopic rock properties to global geodynamic models. It is closely related to structural geology, geodynamics, seismology, and planetary geology.