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.

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Example Sentences

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

From Seattle Times

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

From Seattle Times

Now, the MIT team has shown that the carbon-trapping clays are a product of plate tectonics: When oceanic crust crushes against a continental plate, it can bring rocks to the surface that, over time, can weather into minerals including smectite.

From Science Daily

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

Investigations detail how the activity of an underwater volcano, the Orca Seamount, triggered a recent series of 85,000 earthquakes along the Antarctic continental plate.

From Scientific American