板块构造 (plate tectonics) 的理论是指构成地球表面的地壳也就是板块，漂浮在地幔 (mantle)熔浆上方的活动，这就好比漂浮在河里或海上的冰山，在形成或溶解之初又再次冻结。当板块互相摩擦碰撞在一起时，假如板块其中之一在碰撞中进入了另一板块的下方时或者堆积在另一个板块的上方，就会产生地震 (earthquakes)的现象。假如板块和板块之间的碰撞是在互相挤压，造成地层上升和下沈的作用而产生山脉，这种地壳在受挤压后产生摺皱和上升的造山过程也就是造山运动(orogeny)。当地幔中的熔浆在海洋地壳受压被拉开时，而从地壳的裂隙中涌出， 则形成海底的火山口，火山和中洋脊 (mid-oceanic ridges)， 因新地壳产生而把裂缝两侧的旧地壳往外分开扩张的板块运动也就是有名的海底扩张 (sea-floor spreading)学说，这可用来解释夏威夷和冰岛这类火山岛屿形成的原因。
友谊网页连结
- U Cal. Berkeley page on plate tectonics written for a general audience without too much geology jargon.
- An entire website devoted to the explanation and discussion of plate tectonics.
- The United States Geological Survey's web version of This Dynamic Earth describing the story of plate tectonics. This was written by W. Jacquelyne Kious and Robert I. Tilling.
- The USGS page on plate tectonics and people from This Dynamic Earth.A strightforward discussion of types of movement of the Earth's floor for teachers titled Earth Floor: Plate Tectonics.
- A page from Volcano World giving a brief description of plate tectonics.
友谊网页连结
- U Cal. Berkeley page on plate tectonics written for a general audience without too much geology jargon.
- An entire website devoted to the explanation and discussion of plate tectonics.
- The United States Geological Survey's web version of This Dynamic Earth describing the story of plate tectonics. This was written by W. Jacquelyne Kious and Robert I. Tilling.
- The USGS page on plate tectonics and people from This Dynamic Earth.A strightforward discussion of types of movement of the Earth's floor for teachers titled Earth Floor: Plate Tectonics.
- A page from Volcano World giving a brief description of plate tectonics.