Science Common Sense

92 - What are plate tectonics?

Imagine the Earth's surface is made of big puzzle pieces that fit together. These puzzle pieces are called 'plates', and they're always moving, very slowly.

Plate tectonics is the study of how these plates move and interact with each other, creating mountains, volcanoes, and even causing earthquakes. There are three main things that happen with these plates:

1. They can slide past each other (like when you slide your hands on a slippery surface).
2. They can move apart and create new land or ocean (like when you pull two playdough pieces apart).
3. They can push into each other and create mountains or volcanoes (like when you push two blocks together).

So, plate tectonics is like understanding how the Earth's puzzle pieces fit and move together.