Turkey EarthQuake februar 2023
Tectonic plates are large pieces of the Earth’s lithosphere (the rigid outermost layer) that move and interact with one another. The lithosphere is made up of the crust and uppermost part of the mantle, and it is broken up into several large plates, as well as some smaller ones.
The movement of the plates is driven by convection currents in the mantle, which cause the plates to move slowly but continuously over the surface of the Earth. Where two plates meet, the boundary is known as a plate boundary or a fault. There are three main types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform.
At divergent plate boundaries, the plates move away from each other, and new crust is created as magma rises up from the mantle to fill the gap. Convergent plate boundaries are where two plates collide, and one plate is typically forced down (subducted) into the mantle, while the other plate is pushed upwards. Transform plate boundaries occur where two plates slide past each other, often causing earthquakes.
The movement of tectonic plates is responsible for many geological phenomena, including earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges, and oceanic trenches. Understanding the movement and interaction of tectonic plates is important for predicting and mitigating the impacts of these natural hazards.
