lithosphere is the layer of the earth that is broken up into tectonic plates.
lithosphere is the layer of the earth that is broken up into tectonic plates.
which layer of the earth is broken up into tectonic plates?
lithosphere
list of tectonic plates









































this is a list of tectonic plates on the earth's surface. tectonic plates are pieces of earth's crust and uppermost mantle, together referred to as the lithosphere. the plates are around thick and consist of two principal types of material: oceanic crust (also called "sima" from silicon and magnesium) and continental crust ("sial" from silicon and aluminium). the composition of the two types of crust differs markedly, with mafic basaltic rocks dominating oceanic crust, while continental crust consists principally of lower-density felsic granitic rocks.









































section::::current plates.
list of tectonic plates
earth's volcanoes occur because its crust is broken into 17 major, rigid tectonic plates that float on a hotter, softer layer in its mantle. therefore, on earth, volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and most are found underwater. for example, a mid-oceanic ridge, such as the mid-atlantic ridge, has volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the pacific ring of fire has volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates. volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust's plates, e.g., in the east african rift and the wells gray-clearwater volcanic field and rio grande rift in north america. this type of volcanism falls under the umbrella of "plate hypothesis" volcanism. volcanism away from plate boundaries has also been explained as mantle plumes. these so-called "hotspots", for example hawaii, are postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs with magma from the core–mantle boundary, 3,000 km deep in the earth. volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another.
volcano