Plate boundaries are where the action is. A large fraction of all earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building occurs at plate boundaries. It is also where most of the people on Earth live.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. David Bressan is a geologist who covers curiosities about Earth. Based on a series of models considering how the continents were ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. If you've ever wondered where — and why — earthquakes happen the most, look no further than a new ...

The first ruptures in early Earth’s skin formed because of the weakness of rock minerals merely a millimeter wide, two scientists propose. The small minerals’ behavior created boundaries defining ...

(CBS News) A new study suggests that two recent earthquakes may indicate a literal seismic shift in our understanding of tectonic plate movements. Massive earthquakes under the Indian Ocean that took ...

Along submarine mountain ranges, the mid-ocean ridges, forces from the Earth's interior push tectonic plates apart, forming new ocean floor and thus moving continents about. However, many features of ...

Investigating the causes and consequences of volcanoes and featuring case studies from the Canary Islands, The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iceland. Below earth’s surface, in the upper mantle, ...

A new analysis shows that most (59%) plate boundaries have a relative velocity vector that is markedly oblique (greater than 22°) to the boundary normal. A significant proportion (14%) have vectors ...

Scientists have identified a long-lost tectonic plate in the west Pacific Ocean. Called Pontus, the 'mega-plate' was once 15 million square miles, about a quarter the size of the Pacific Ocean today.