WHAT IS TECTONISM? CHARACTERISTICS AND TYPES - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The tectonics are internal transformations that crust through the accommodation of the layers that form. These transformations take place very slowly over time.

Life on Earth began millions of years ago and since then the planet has continued to evolve, until it reached the form it has today.

Their surface plates continue to move, the continents continue to change shape, and the rock layers are continually rearranging and reforming. This is due to tectonic activity.

All terrestrial planets, also called telluric or rocky, have gone through a process of development, each with unique tectonic characteristics. In addition to Earth, planets like Venus and Mars still have active tectonism.

Smaller bodies such as the Moon and Mercury are not believed to be active today, but geologists say that their characteristics show that they had an active past (Revista Creces, 1997).

Characteristics of tectonism

Tectonism is the set of movements that affect the earth's crust and cause the rock layers to deform, rearrange or break.

Tectonism is also called diastrophism and can be of two types:

-The orogenic tectonism: is when the movements occur horizontally, giving rise to mountains and areas with folds and faults.

-Epirogenic tectonism: it is when the movements occur in ascent and descent. There are no significant changes in the surface but as a result of them changes are observed in the coastlines and in the appearance of the continents.

Earth's lithosphere is made up of several rigid plates called tectonic plates. These plates are on a semi-fluid layer called the asthenosphere.

Tectonic plates, being over the asthenosphere, move at a speed of about 2.5 km per year. When these movements are noticeable to people, we speak of natural phenomena such as earthquakes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or tsunamis (Bembibre, 2012).

The movement carried out by tectonic plates is not always in the same direction, in some cases they move closer together, in other cases away and in some cases the edges move side by side. These movements are studied by plate tectonics.

Types of Tectonic Plate Movements and how they can transform the Earth

Divergent movement

It is when two plates move apart and produce what is called a fault or gap in the earth. The magma fills the rift and a new crust forms.

Convergent movement

It is when two plates come together. One plate slides underneath the other in a process called subduction. This originates mountain ranges, for example the Rockies or the Himalayas, are the result of this tectonic activity.

Subduction causes a deep melting below the Earth's surface, forming pools of magma. Deep earthquakes occur in these regions. Some of this magma eventually reaches the surface and erupts volcanically.

The ring of fire or ring of volcanic mountains along the Pacific coast is an example of this type of shock. The Ring of Fire is the area with the highest record of seismic and volcanic activity on Earth, with 75% of the world's active volcanoes.

This huge belt is located under the basin of the Pacific Ocean, is shaped like a horseshoe and stretches for 40,000 kilometers.

Its route goes from the south of New Zealand to the west coast of South America. From New Zealand it goes up through Japan and Indonesia, until it reaches Alaska, to descend through California and reach Chile (Caryl-Sue, 2015).

Sliding or transforming movement

It is when the plates slide or move in opposite directions friction. This type of movement also causes failures.

The San Andreas Fault in California is the most famous example of this type of transformation. These transformations do not commonly have volcanoes, but are characterized by strong earthquakes (Shaping the Planets: Tectonism, 2017).

The San Andrés fault is a fissure in the crust of the Earth that crosses 1,050 km. of the continental United States.

It runs from the north shore of San Francisco to the Gulf of California. It sinks 16 km into the Earth and marks the meeting place of two of the 12 tectonic plates on which continents and oceans are affirmed.

The frictional energy that forms at its edges has no way of escaping, resulting from a slight tremor to a large earthquake, depending on the part of the fault where this energy is formed.

The studies carried out by the so-called plate tectonics have served as a guideline for current geology to understand the origin, structure and dynamics of the Earth's crust.

The theory is based on the observation made in the earth's crust and its division into plates. Currently 15 major or main plates and about 42 minor or secondary plates are recognized, all with more or less defined limits.

The boundaries between these plates are areas with tectonic activity and therefore are the sites where volcanic eruptions, geographic changes and earthquakes occur most.

References

1. Bembibre, 0. C. (March 08, 2012). Definition ABC. Obtained from Tectonic Plate: definicionabc.com
2. Cárdenas, DE (2017). General Gemorphology. Obtained from Oceanic Ridge: previa.uclm.es
3. Caryl-Sue, NG (Jan 6, 2015). National Geographic. Retrieved from Ring of Fire: nationalgeographic.org
4. Magazine Creces. (July 1997). You grow. Obtained from Formation of the Earth: creces.cl
5. Shaping the Planets: Tectonism. (2017). Retrieved from Education and Public Engagement: lpi.usra.edu