plate-tectonic
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a word derived from
plate tectonics.
plate tectonicsnouna theory of global tectonics in which the lithosphere is divided into a number of crustal plates, each of which moves on the plastic asthenosphere more or less independently to collide with, slide under, or move past adjacent plates.
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.
"We analyzed a compilation of thermal history models in function of plate-tectonic models for the Tethys Ocean evolution, as well as deep-time precipitation and mantle-convection models."
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
The distinctive east–west shear zones that transected the region were, they said, sutures left by the most ancient plate-tectonic collisions on our planet, during the early Proterozoic eon, which began around 2.5 billion years ago.
From Nature ● Feb. 5, 2018
A terrane is a distinctive block of crust that is now part of a continent, but is thought to have come from elsewhere, and was added on by plate-tectonic processes.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
In the ridge-push/slab-pull model, which is the one that has been adopted by most geologists working on plate-tectonic problems, the lithosphere is the upper surface of the convection cells, as is illustrated in Figure 10.29.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
She thinks plate-tectonic theory, though correct in many respects, has had considerable bosh swept under it.
From Time Magazine Archive
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