tectonic plates
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The plates are not the same as the continents. The North American plate, for example, extends from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to the west coast of the United States and Canada. These plates are about thirty miles thick.
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.
The Pacific Ring of Fire refers to a string of volcanoes, earthquake sites and tectonic plates around the Pacific.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Maybe Gwyneth Paltrow will launch the Goop store and shift the tectonic plates.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
They travel beneath continents after tectonic plates begin to separate and have previously been linked to the eruption of diamond volcanoes and mysterious phases of uplift within continents.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
Geologists have determined the sounds are from shifting tectonic plates, creating underground rumblings that are amplified by the topography.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The puzzle pieces, called tectonic plates, sit on the asthenosphere, a layer of Earth that shifts and flows.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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