A hidden chunk of an ancient tectonic plate is stuck to the Pacific Ocean floor and sliding under North America, complicating earthquake risk at the Cascadia subduction zone.

What appears to be three tectonic plates in a map may act like five pieces that move underground. Northern California ...

It was a groundbreaking discovery. Scientists have found previously concealed fault lines along California’s north coast, ...

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 ...

Learn about the movement of tectonic plates off the coast of northern California, a process that could incite major earthquakes.

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 ...

Our world’s surface is a jumble of jostling tectonic plates, with new ones emerging as others are pulled under. The ongoing cycle keeps our continents in motion and drives life on Earth. But what ...

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

For millions of years, Earth’s moving plates have sculpted continents, carved oceans, and built massive mountain ranges. Yet some of these giant structures vanished deep into the mantle, hidden from ...

Carbon released from Earth's spreading tectonic plates, not volcanoes, may have triggered major transitions between ancient ...

Our planet has experienced dramatic climate shifts throughout its history, oscillating between freezing "icehouse" periods ...