板塊構造 (plate tectonics) 的理論，是指構成地球表面的地殼也就是板塊，漂浮在地幔 (mantle)熔漿上方的活動，這就好比漂浮在河裡或海上的冰山，在形成或溶解之初，又再次凍結。當板塊互相摩擦碰撞在一起時，假如板塊其中之一，在碰撞中進入了另一板塊的下方時，或者堆積在另一個板塊的上方，就會產生地震 (earthquakes)的現象。假如板塊和板塊之間的碰撞是在互相擠壓，造成地層上升和下沈的作用而產生山脈，這種地殼在受擠壓後產生摺皺和上升的造山過程，也就是造山運動(orogeny)。當地幔中的熔漿，在海洋地殼受壓被拉開時，而從地殼的裂隙中湧出， 則形成海底的火山口，火山和中洋脊 (mid-oceanic ridges)， 因新地殼產生而把裂缝兩側的舊地殼往外分開擴張的板塊運動，也就是有名的海底擴張 (sea-floor spreading)學說，這可用來解釋夏威夷和冰岛這類火山岛嶼形成的原因。
連結網頁
- 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.
連結網頁
- 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.