What is a tectonic plate?
A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive, irregularly
shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of both continental and oceanic
lithosphere. Plate size can vary greatly, from a few hundred to thousands
of kilometers across; the Pacific and Antarctic Plates are among the largest.
Plate thickness also varies greatly, ranging from less than 15 km for young
oceanic lithosphere to about 200 km or more for ancient continental lithosphere
(for example, the interior parts of North and South America).
How do these massive slabs of solid rock float despite their tremendous
weight? The answer lies in the composition of the rocks. Continental crust
is composed of granitic rocks which are made up of relatively lightweight
minerals such as quartz and feldspar. By contrast, oceanic crust is composed
of basaltic rocks, which are much denser and heavier. The variations in
plate thickness are nature's way of partly compensating for the imbalance
in the weight and density of the two types of crust. Because continental
rocks are much lighter, the crust under the continents is much thicker (as
much as 100 km) whereas the crust under the oceans is generally only about
5 km thick. Like icebergs, only the tips of which are visible above water,
continents have deep "roots" to support their elevations.
Most of the boundaries between individual plates cannot be seen, because
they are hidden beneath the oceans. Yet oceanic plate boundaries can be
mapped accurately from outer space by measurements from GEOSAT satellites.
Earthquake and volcanic activity is concentrated near these boundaries.
Tectonic plates probably developed very early in the Earth's 4.6-billion-year
history, and they have been drifting about on the surface ever since-like
slow-moving bumper cars repeatedly clustering together and then separating.
Like many features on the Earth's surface, plates change over time. Those
composed partly or entirely of oceanic lithosphere can sink under another
plate, usually a lighter, mostly continental plate, and eventually disappear
completely. This process is happening now off the coast of Oregon and Washington.
The small Juan de Fuca Plate, a remnant of the formerly much larger oceanic
Farallon Plate, will someday be entirely consumed as it continues to sink
beneath the North American Plate.
URL: https://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/tectonic.html
Last updated: 05.05.99
Contact: bhanks@usgs.gov
Shrinking Farallon Plate [100 k]
"Historical
perspective"