Realm
Interior & Plates
Explore beneath the surface
Look inside Earth and follow the movement of tectonic plates to understand how oceans open and mountain belts form.
Earth’s interior
Seismic waves reveal an Earth with layers that differ in composition and physical state.
Plate boundaries
At divergent boundaries plates separate, at convergent boundaries they approach, and at transform boundaries they slide past.
Continental drift
Continents move with tectonic plates.
Hotspots
A moving plate can carry older volcanoes away from a long-lived region of melting.
Seafloor spreading
New oceanic crust forms at a spreading ridge and moves away on both sides.
Folds and faults
Rock layers may bend into folds or break and move along faults.
Isostasy
Adding an ice load changes the equilibrium height of the crust.
Wilson cycle
Continental rifting can open an ocean basin, while subduction can later consume oceanic lithosphere and bring continents together.