GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -massive slab of solid rock made up of Earth’s lithosphere (crust and upper mantle). Also called lithospheric plate.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Earth’s crust and upper mantle is broken into many plates called tectonic plates that are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. There are seven major plates that make up 94% of the Earth’s surface and many smaller plates making up the other 6%.

Detailed explanation-3: -The earth’s crust is broken into separate pieces called tectonic plates (Fig. 7.14). Recall that the crust is the solid, rocky, outer shell of the planet. It is composed of two distinctly different types of material: the less-dense continental crust and the more-dense oceanic crust.