Plate Tectonics
![Plate tectonics](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XR53cBniRqvroUjJasiLvF-320-80.jpg)
Plate tectonics is relatively new, put forth in the last 30 years or so — its forerunner was the now-discarded continental drift theory. The theory states that Earth's outer shell is made up of huge slabs of rock called plates that glide over the planet's inner layer, or mantle. As these plates shift, they sometimes collide with other plates, making for some interesting, and even deadly, results on Earth's surface, from erupting volcanoes, to earthquakes, to new mountain ranges. Here's a look at Live Science's news and features related to this constantly moving jigsaw puzzle.
Latest about plate tectonics
![An aerial photo of a wide fjord with mountains in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DyrF2zmNoFze5kCYL5ejqX-320-80.jpg)
'Failed' microcontinent found hiding beneath Greenland and Canada
By Stephanie Pappas published
The Davis Strait, west of Greenland, holds a long-lost chunk of an almost-continent that didn't quite form about 58 million years ago.
![Digital rendition of the earth's core shown from a quarter](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/td6kD7tuxU9SV9HkDDadkf-320-80.jpg)
Earth's plate tectonics fired up hundreds of millions of years earlier than we thought, ancient crystals reveal
By Stephanie Pappas published
New research hints that plate tectonics began earlier than 4 billion years ago — not long after Earth had formed.
![Aerial view of the Argyle diamond mine with exposed earth and infrastructure.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8ipizD2xb6wK5taRyZ3aqV-320-80.jpg)
Argyle mine: Earth's treasure trove of pink diamonds born during a supercontinent's break up
By Sascha Pare published
During 37 years of operations, the now-closed Argyle mine produced more than 865 million carats (191 tons) of rough diamonds and 90% of the world's pink diamonds.
![Facts about Earth](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xm5tNGu2r7gT9WzeXqd8S9-320-80.jpg)
50 interesting facts about Earth
By Stephanie Pappas, Robert Roy Britt, Ailsa Harvey last updated
Reference We've collected some of the most interesting and amazing facts about Earth
![Seismic station on snow in Antarctica](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KpkRrz8avbViZsx3CqtyFa-320-80.jpg)
Weird blobs lurking near Earth's core may have been dragged from the surface
By Stephanie Pappas published
A new study of seismic data from Antarctica finds that the mantle may be stranger and more variable than previously believed, with pieces of ancient crust that have been dragged down by tectonic forces.
![Trilobite fossils recovered from the Transantarctic Mountains.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PFTX72YSpqJAwVhsaQhTx6-320-80.jpg)
Mass die-off half a billion years ago caused by shifting tectonic plates, ancient rocks reveal
By Stephanie Pappas published
A large extinction in the midst of the expansion of life during the Cambrian period was caused by the tectonics of a supercontinent, new research argues.
![A diagram showing the age of Earth's crust below the Atlantic Ocean.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QHzAaBBbkvrqqLUe5vKdAX-320-80.png)
Sleeping subduction zone could awaken and form a new 'Ring of Fire' that swallows the Atlantic Ocean
By Sascha Pare published
A modeling study suggests a slumbering subduction zone below the Gibraltar Strait is active and could break into the Atlantic Ocean in 20 million years' time, giving birth to an Atlantic "Ring of Fire."
![Illustration of Earth when the supercontinent Pangaea existed](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ejj9WZ2ruUsA7YaeqWb8F8-320-80.jpg)
Pangaea: Facts about an ancient supercontinent
By Laura Geggel, Tia Ghose last updated
Reference Pangaea is Earth's most recent supercontinent, which existed 320 million to 195 million years ago.
![Skyline of Seattle at sunset](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gxAVrVX82dbdTAi3GLnerf-320-80.jpg)
Seattle's massive fault may result from oceanic crust 'unzipping itself' 55 million years ago
By Sascha Pare published
Magnetic data suggest Seattle's fault line formed 55 million years ago, when the southern half of a subducting chain of volcanic islands piled onto the continent and tore apart from the northern half.
![An aerial view shows lava after volcano eruption northeast of Sylingarfell, near Grindavik, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland early Thursday, February 8, 2024.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kYXLPWJwiyvYcPmYWY6BbX-320-80.jpg)
'We were very surprised': Magma under Reykjanes Peninsula rushed into Grindavík dike at a shockingly fast rate
By Hannah Osborne published
Magma flowed into the dike beneath Grindavík at a rate almost 100 times higher than what was seen in the eruptions that took place between 2021 and 2023.
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