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縫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島這類火山島嶼形成的原因。
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相關連結
1. U Cal. Berkeley page on plate tectonics written for a general audience without too much geology jargon.
2. An entire website devoted to the explanation and discussion of plate tectonics.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. A page from Volcano World giving a brief description of plate tectonics.
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