Tectonics are the processes that result in the structure and properties of Earth's crust and its evolution through time. The field of planetary tectonics extends the concept to other planets and moons
San Andreas transform fault on the Carrizo Plain
The Tectonic Network of Earth. Legend: Brown: Terrane (microplate) boundaries in the continents and Mobile Belts, Cyan: Terranes of the Oceanic Plates, Blue: Oceanic transform faults; Red and orange: Fault zones in the Continental and Mountain belt domain; Purple: Main subduction zones and suture zones; Green: Continental margins
An earthquake, also called a quake, tremor, or temblor, is the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can r
Tectonics
…rigid plates that constitute Earth's outer shell interact with each other. Principles of tectonics also provide a framework for understanding the earthquake and volcanic belts that directly affect much of the global population. Tectonic studies are important as guides for economic geologists searching for…
Aerial photo of the San Andreas Fault in the Carrizo Plain, northwest of Los Angeles
Collapsed Gran Hotel building in the San Salvador metropolis, after the shallow 1986 San Salvador earthquake
The 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes ruptured along segments of the East Anatolian Fault at supershear speeds; more than 50,000 people died in both countries.
The Messina earthquake and tsunami took about 80,000 lives on December 28, 1908, in Sicily and Calabria.