tectonics

[tek-ton-iks]

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.

tectonics

/ 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

tectonics

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tectonics¹

First recorded in 1625–35; tectonic, -ics

Example Sentences

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.

Read more on 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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Dr Rebecca Bell, a reader in tectonics at Imperial College London, said that to accommodate all of this motion, faults - cracks in the rock - form which allow tectonic plates to "slither" sideways.

Read more on BBC

Pressure from the collision of the Indian and the Eurasian plates 40-50 million years ago formed the Himalayas and plate tectonics remains the major reason for their continued rise.

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Earth scientists have long studied and debated the origin of plate tectonics, and other theories have been offered.

Read more on New York Times