litosfäärilevyjen

Litosfäärilevyjä, commonly referred to as tectonic plates, are large, irregularly shaped slabs of solid rock that make up the Earth's lithosphere. The lithosphere, which is the rigid outer shell of our planet, consists of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. These plates are not static; they float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath them, which is a zone in the upper mantle.

The movement of these lithospheric plates is driven by convection currents within the Earth's mantle. Heat from the Earth's core causes material in the mantle to rise, cool, and then sink in a continuous cycle. This slow but powerful movement drags the overlying plates along with it.

There are several major lithospheric plates, such as the Pacific Plate, North American Plate, Eurasian Plate, and African Plate, along with numerous smaller ones. The interactions at the boundaries between these plates are responsible for most of the Earth's major geological activities. When plates collide, slide past each other, or pull apart, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountain ranges occur. The study of these plates and their movements is known as plate tectonics.