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Sciences - Geology > Tectonic
Tectonics, (from the Greek for "builder", tekton), is a field of study within geology concerned generally with the structures within the crust of the Earth (or other planets) and particularly with the forces and movements that have operated in a region to create these structures.
Tectonics is concerned with the orogenies and tectonic development of cratons and tectonic terranes as well as the earthquake and volcanic belts which directly affect much of the global population. Tectonic studies are also important for understanding erosion patterns in geomorphology and as guides for the economic geologist searching for petroleum and metallic ores.
Tectonic studies have application to lunar and planetary studies whether or not those bodies have active tectonic plate systems.
Since the 1960s, plate tectonics has become by far the dominant theory to explain the origin and forces responsible for the tectonic features of the continents and ocean basins.
There are three main types of tectonic regime
Extensional tectonics
Thrust (Contractional) tectonics
Strike-slip tectonics
Tectonic plates are large plates of rock that make up the foundation of the earth's crust and the shape of the continents. The tectonic plates comprise the bottom of the crust and the top of the earth's mantle. There are ten major plates on the earth and many more minor ones. They float on a plastic-like part of the earth's mantle called the asthenosphere. The plates are most famously known for being the source of earthquakes.
Because the plates are so large, each wraps over a considerable portion of the earth's surface, making them curved. This is a different shape than the flatness the word "plate" suggests.