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The map above shows names and generalized locations of Earth's major tectonic plates. These plates move and interact with one another to produce earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges, ocean trenches and other geologic processes and features. Map prepared by the United States Geological Survey.
Plate tectonics map. Depending on how they are defined, there are usually seven or eight "major" plates: African, Antarctic, Eurasian, North American, South American, Pacific, and Indo-Australian. The latter is sometimes subdivided into the Indian and Australian plates.
Seven of the world's major tectonic plates make up around 84 percent of the Earth's total surface. This map shows those and also includes many other plates that are too small to label. Geologists refer to the very small ones as "microplates," although that term has loose definitions.
Plate Tectonics Visualization - Interactive Earth. Tectonic Tessellation Playground. Instructions: Set one of the two positions (A or B) to adjust. These points are the beginning and end position for the animation. Each land mass can be adjusted by modifying their x, y, and z axis rotation (this can be tedious).
Geologists studying the Earth use scientific observation and evidence to construct a picture of what the Earth looked like at different periods in the geologic past. Use this map gallery to better understand how plate tectonics created the ocean and continents we are familiar with today.
Tectonic plates are responsible for many familiar geological structures, such as mountains and volcanoes as well as natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Mapping tectonic plates is important so that experts can predict the regions where these natural disasters might strike.
Sections of the crust, called plates, push against each other due to forces from the molten interior of the Earth. The areas where these plates collide often have increased volcanic and earthquake activity. These images show the locations of the plates and their boundaries in the Earth's crust.
Plate Tectonics Map of the world, showing plates, boundaries, boundary types and more.
Plates & Boundaries. The earth's continents are constantly moving due to the motions of the tectonic plates. Closely examine the map below, which shows the 15 major tectonic plates. As you can see, some of the plates contain continents and others are mostly under the ocean.
Based on a series of models considering how the continents were assembled over time, a team of researchers at the University of Adelaide created an updated map of Earth's tectonic plates.