tectos

Tectos refers to the tectonic plates that make up the Earth's lithosphere. These massive, irregularly shaped slabs of solid rock, composed of both continental and oceanic crust, are in constant, slow motion. This movement is driven by convection currents within the Earth's mantle. The boundaries between these plates are where most of the Earth's seismic and volcanic activity occurs.

There are several types of plate boundaries. Divergent boundaries occur when plates move away from each other, leading to the formation of new crust, often at mid-ocean ridges. Convergent boundaries happen when plates collide. This can result in subduction, where one plate slides beneath another, forming trenches and volcanic arcs, or in mountain building, as seen with the Himalayas. Transform boundaries are where plates slide past each other horizontally, causing earthquakes.

The study of tectos and their movements is known as plate tectonics, a fundamental theory in geology that explains a wide range of geological phenomena, including the distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges, and the formation of ocean basins. The Earth's surface is not static; it is a dynamic system continuously reshaped by the interactions of these colossal tectonic plates.