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# tectonics

noun (tectonics; plate tectonics) — uncountable, takes a singular verb

«tectonics» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (science) Tectonics, or plate tectonics, is the idea that the Earth's outer shell is broken into huge pieces called plates that move very slowly, and the study of how they move. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tectonics/#m1)
2. Tectonics can also mean big shifts or changes in politics or society (formal, figurative). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tectonics/#m2)

### In the lessons

Geography and science: tectonic plates move a few centimetres a year (about as fast as fingernails grow); where they meet there are earthquakes, volcanoes and mountains (the Himalayas, the Andes). New Zealand and Iceland sit on plate boundaries. The idea grew from Alfred Wegener's «continental drift» (1912). Phrases: «plate tectonics», «tectonic plates», «tectonic shift».

### Examples

- Plate tectonics explains why earthquakes happen. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tectonics/#x1)
- The Himalayas formed because of plate tectonics. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tectonics/#x2)
- Iceland is splitting apart because of tectonics. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tectonics/#x3)
- We learned about tectonics in geography. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tectonics/#x4)
- Tectonic plates move about as fast as your fingernails grow. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tectonics/#x5)
- New Zealand lies where two tectonic plates meet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tectonics/#x6)

### Note

Ends in -s but usually singular: «plate tectonics is ...». Adjective: tectonic (tectonic plates). Myth: plates do not float on liquid lava; they slide on hot, slowly-flowing solid rock in the mantle.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «tectonics» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tectonics/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«tectonics» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/tectonics.html) on Mova free.