Plate tectonics is the scientific theory that explains the structure and movement of Earth's outer shell, known as the lithosphere. According to this theory, the lithosphere is divided into several large and small rigid plates that float and move over the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath them

. These tectonic plates, which include both continental and oceanic crust, move slowly-typically at rates of a few centimeters per year-and interact at their boundaries in three main ways: convergent (plates push together), divergent (plates pull apart), and transform (plates slide past each other)

. These interactions cause many geological phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain building, and the formation of oceanic trenches

. The driving force behind plate tectonics is primarily mantle convection, where hot material rises from deep within the Earth and cooler material sinks, creating a conveyor belt-like motion that moves the plates

. Subduction, where one plate sinks beneath another, and seafloor spreading, where new crust is formed at divergent boundaries, are key processes that maintain the balance of Earth's surface area

. Plate tectonics has revolutionized our understanding of Earth's geology by providing a comprehensive framework to explain the distribution of continents, oceans, mountain ranges, earthquakes, and volcanoes, as well as the evolution of Earth's surface over billions of years

. It builds on earlier ideas like continental drift and seafloor spreading and is now a fundamental concept in Earth sciences