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crustal plate

American  

noun

Geology.
  1. a large block or tabular section of the lithosphere that reacts to tectonic forces as a unit and moves as such.


Example Sentences

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In some cases the destruction from strike-slip earthquakes is more widespread than from larger quakes that occur in so-called subduction zones, where one large crustal plate is sliding beneath another.

From New York Times Feb. 6, 2023

We see part of a very active region in California where one crustal plate is sliding sideways with respect to the other.

From Textbooks Oct. 13, 2016

Alaska also has some of the most complex geology in North America, with the Pacific crustal plate slamming into and diving under the continent.

From Scientific American Nov. 5, 2013

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