Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun In the theory of plate tectonics, one of the sections of the earth's lithosphere, constantly moving in relation to the other sections.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun geology any of several large pieces of the
Earth 'slithosphere which participate inplate tectonics
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treeseed commented on the word tectonic plate
A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic lithosphere. Plate size can vary greatly, from a few hundred to thousands of kilometers across; the Pacific and Antarctic Plates are among the largest. Plate thickness also varies greatly, ranging from less than 15 km for young oceanic lithosphere to about 200 km or more for ancient continental lithosphere (for example, the interior parts of North and South America).
from http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/tectonic.html
February 6, 2008