Tectonics is the branch of geology that studies the deformation and structure of the Earth's crust, as well as the movements that alter the Earth's surface.
It analyzes how rocks fracture, fold, shift, rise, and sink due to the planet's internal forces.
Plate Tectonics Theory
The Earth’s lithosphere is divided into plates that move slowly over the mantle.
This movement produces:
- Mountain ranges
- Earthquakes
- Volcanoes
- Sedimentary basins
- Geological faults
Types of tectonic boundaries
- Convergent: The plates collide.
- Divergent: The plates move apart.
- Transform: The plates slide past each other laterally.
Tectonic processes
- Folding: Rocks are deformed without breaking.
- Faulting: Rocks fracture and shift.
- Subduction: One plate slides beneath another.
- Orogeny: The process of mountain formation.
