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

Mars, by contrast, lacks active tectonics, which helps explain why its river systems are fewer and generally smaller.

From Science Daily

With this discovery, Milos stands out as one of the most important natural sites in the Mediterranean for exploring how tectonics, volcanism, and hydrothermal processes interact beneath the sea.

From Science Daily

Stagnant lid: A tectonic state where the planet's outer shell is rigid and unmoving, with very little surface recycling compared to modern plate tectonics.

From Science Daily

More than anything else, Japan has been shaped by the push and pull of plate tectonics.

From Literature

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