tectonic plate

American  

[tek-tan-ik playt] / tɛkˈtan ɪk ˌpleɪt /

noun

1. Geology. a solid, massive slab of the earth's lithosphere, always in motion atop the softer mantle, touching and shifting other tectonic plates, which together cover the entire earth and whose collisions can be intense enough to create volcanoes, mountains, and earthquakes.

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Example Sentences

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tectonic plate

He stood up, and noticed that the concrete floor had buckled like a tectonic plate.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

These strike-slip earthquakes can occur at shallower depths than subduction quakes, where one tectonic plate is forced below another.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

It ruptured at a depth of about 125 kilometers beneath the surface, inside the subducting tectonic plate itself.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 1, 2026

That strain accumulates over decades and centuries, and is eventually unleashed in the form of earthquakes around that tectonic plate boundary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

And on a scale as large as a tectonic plate, a little bit of motion combined with a lot of stickiness can build up an enormous amount of energy.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland