tectonics

American  

[tek-ton-iks] / tɛkˈtɒn ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the science or art of assembling, shaping, or ornamenting materials in construction; the constructive arts in general.

2. structural geology.

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tectonics British  

/ tɛkˈtɒnɪks /

noun

1. the art and science of construction or building

2. the study of the processes by which the earth's crust has attained its present structure See also plate tectonics

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tectonics Scientific  

/ tĕk-tŏn′ĭks /

1. The branch of geology that deals with the broad structural and deformational features of the outer part of the Earth, their origins, and the relationships between them.

2. See more at plate tectonics

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Etymology

Origin of tectonics

First recorded in 1625–35; tectonic, -ics

Example Sentences

The resulting 1978 masterpiece—sublimely detailed and marvelously strange in its presentation of unseen ridges, troughs and endless plains—reflected the newly established theories of plate tectonics and continental drift.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It provides a new way to think about how tectonics, climate and life co-evolved through deep time."

From Science Daily

These findings highlight the overwhelming odds against discovering Earth-like planets that possess both plate tectonics and a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere containing the right balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

From Science Daily

All in all, the Red Sea is a natural laboratory for understanding how oceans are born, how salt giants accumulate, and how climate and tectonics interact over millions of years.

From Science Daily

And scientists hadn’t yet developed the theory of plate tectonics, which we now know explains why California is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes.

From Los Angeles Times