— Continents and oceans —

Are we adrift?

Understanding plate tectonics

What is plate tectonics? And continental drift? The world's continents are moving all the time, at a rate of a few centimeters per year. Over large timespans this translates into thousands of kilometers. Some oceans are just born, like the Red Sea, some are growing bigger, like the Atlantic, and others are at the end of their life cycle, like the Mediterranean. The world as it is, and many processes that have a direct impact on our daily lives, are the result of plate tectonics. Each time an earthquake strikes, we are brutally remembered of the power of nature and our own futility. But at the same time plate tectonics is fascinating and is responsible for many amazing landscapes.

Articles on Continents and oceans:

• Ocean Planet: Cousteau, whales with legs, and aquatic humans.
• 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake: rupture in the heart of a triple junction.
• The Mediterranean dried up almost completely during the Messinian Salinity Crisis.
• The East African Rift System: a belt of natural wonders.
• Tethys: a vanished ocean now lying in the mountains.
• Africa: the long voyage of an ancient continent.
• Plate Tectonics: caterpillar tracks of the planet.