Memorizing seven continents feels settled, like learning the alphabet. A new study argues the ground rules are less tidy. The ...

In the heart of Asia, deep underground, two huge tectonic plates are crashing into each other — a violent but slow-motion bout of geological bumper cars that over time has sculpted the soaring ...

New models suggest that Europa has very little tectonic activity at its seafloor, which is potentially catastrophic news for ...

The tectonic plates are among the most powerful forces on Earth, exerting tremendous influence over every single life that unfolds on this planet. They are both creators and destroyers, capable of ...

Tectonic plates bend as they sink into the mantle at so-called subduction zones, becoming segmented 'like a slinky snake', a study has concluded. For the largest part, the motion of Earth's plates is ...

Using ricocheted vibrations from dynamite blasts, researchers have glimpsed a layer of gooey material sandwiched between the Pacific tectonic plate and the underlying mantle. If present beneath all ...

Venus may not have had Earth-like tectonic plates for the last billion years, according to the results of a new study. Instead, the planet, which is often referred to as Earth’s twin, may be covered ...

At school we're taught that Earth's tectonic plates are rigid and fit together like pieces in a puzzle. But It turns out that this theory may be wrong. A study has suggested that the plates that make ...

Scientists have discovered a new layer of partly molten rock under the Earth's crust that might help settle a long-standing debate about how tectonic plates move. Researchers had previously identified ...

A new study introduces a novel way for tectonic plates — massive sheets of rock that jostle for position in the Earth’s crust and upper mantle — to bend and sink. It’s a bit of planetary Pilates that ...

Earth science A surprise discovery has shown scientists how Earth's tectonic plates slide across the top of the planet's mantle. Researchers were using explosives to collect seismic data on the plate ...