Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

continental plate

American  
[kahn-tin-en-tuhl playt] / ˌkɑn tɪnˈɛn təl ˌpleɪt /

noun

  1. Geology. the type of tectonic plate that is part of the lithosphere that underlies the continents, as opposed to being oceanic.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Subduction is the process of an oceanic tectonic plate running into a continental plate and sliding beneath it.

From Seattle Times • May 18, 2024

Pakistan and the region, which sit along an active continental plate boundary, are often hit by earthquakes.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 11, 2024

When the mine was first discovered, most geologists thought that searching for diamonds along continental plate boundaries—which are often uplifted by ancient mountain belts and buried beneath soil and sand—was futile.

From Scientific American • Sep. 19, 2023

Thrust faults have deformed the non-volcanic eastern spine, pushing rocks and pieces of a continental plate on top of each other.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

No one has the faintest idea how or why Yellowstone’s ended up beneath a continental plate.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "continental plate" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com