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tectonics
tectonics Most processes causing or associated with deformation of the Earth's crust or lithosphere can be described as tectonics. A tectonic province is distinguished by having a coherent history of deformation different from that of neighbouring regions.
Tectonic structures such as faults, folds, and cleavage are the result of deformation of pre-existing rock, as opposed to features generated during the original deposition or formation of the rock (such as cross-bedding in a sedimentary rock or joints caused by cooling and contraction in an igneous rock). Superficial events like landslides and slumping are excluded from the definition, even though they may generate faults or folds. Deformation on a regional scale in the form of compression, extension, or uplift has long been attributed to ‘tectonic forces’, but it was not until the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the late 1960s that the underlying causes of most tectonic deformation began to be understood. Plate tectonics is now widely accepted, and recognizes that the Earth's rigid outer shell, the lithosphere, is split into a number of plates. These glide over a weak zone in the mantle known as the asthenosphere, and the relative motion between plates causes most large-scale tectonic structures. Plate-tectonic models based on the motion of rigid plates over the surface of a sphere explain tectonic features in the oceanic crust very well. However, where plate boundaries pass through continental crust they are complicated, and although simple plate-tectonic theory can explain large-scale structures in the continents in a general sense it often fails to predict the detailed structure. David A. Rothery |
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PAUL HANCOCK and BRIAN J. SKINNER. "tectonics." The Oxford Companion to the Earth. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PAUL HANCOCK and BRIAN J. SKINNER. "tectonics." The Oxford Companion to the Earth. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O112-tectonics.html PAUL HANCOCK and BRIAN J. SKINNER. "tectonics." The Oxford Companion to the Earth. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O112-tectonics.html |
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tectonic
tec·ton·ic / tekˈtänik/ • adj. 1. Geol. of or relating to the structure of the earth's crust and the large-scale processes that take place within it. 2. of or relating to building or construction. DERIVATIVES: tec·ton·i·cal·ly / -ik(ə)lē/ adv. |
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"tectonic." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tectonic." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tectonic.html "tectonic." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tectonic.html |
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tectonics
tectonics The study of the structural features of a planet that result from crustal movement or deformation, or the processes associated with such movement. Faults, graben, and wrinkle ridges are all tectonic features, and give clues to past movements of a planetary crust. See also plate tectonics.
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"tectonics." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tectonics." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-tectonics.html "tectonics." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-tectonics.html |
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tectonics
tectonics Deformation within the Earth's crust and the geological structures produced by deformation, including folds, faults and the development of mountain chains.See also plate tectonics
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"tectonics." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tectonics." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-tectonics.html "tectonics." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-tectonics.html |
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tectonics
tec·ton·ics / tekˈtäniks/ • pl. n. [treated as sing. or pl.] Geol. large-scale processes affecting the structure of the earth's crust. |
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Cite this article
"tectonics." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tectonics." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tectonics.html "tectonics." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-tectonics.html |
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tectonic
tectonic pert. to building or construction. XVII. — lateL. tectonicus — Gr. tektonikós, f. téktōn, -ton- carpenter.
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T. F. HOAD. "tectonic." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "tectonic." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tectonic.html T. F. HOAD. "tectonic." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-tectonic.html |
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tectonic
tectonic See TECTONISM.
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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "tectonic." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "tectonic." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-tectonic.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "tectonic." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-tectonic.html |
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tectonic
tectonic
•aldermanic, botanic, Brahmanic, Britannic, epiphanic, galvanic, Germanic, Hispanic, interoceanic, Koranic, manganic, manic, mechanic, messianic, oceanic, organic, panic, Puranic, Romanic, satanic, shamanic, talismanic, titanic, transoceanic, tympanic, volcanic
•anthropogenic, arsenic, autogenic, callisthenic (US calisthenic), carcinogenic, cariogenic, cryogenic, erotogenic, eugenic, fennec, hallucinogenic, Hellenic, hypo-allergenic, photogenic, pyrogenic, radiogenic, schizophrenic, telegenic
•polytechnic, pyrotechnic, technic
•Chetnik
•ethnic, multi-ethnic
•Selznick
•hygienic, scenic
•peacenik • beatnik
•actinic, clinic, cynic, Finnic, Jacobinic, rabbinic
•picnic, pyknic
•hymnic • Iznik • Dominic
•anachronic, animatronic, bionic, Brythonic, bubonic, Byronic, canonic, carbonic, catatonic, chalcedonic, chronic, colonic, conic, cyclonic, daemonic, demonic, diatonic, draconic, electronic, embryonic, euphonic, harmonic, hegemonic, histrionic, homophonic, hypersonic, iconic, ionic, ironic, isotonic, laconic, macaronic, Masonic, Miltonic, mnemonic, monotonic, moronic, Napoleonic, philharmonic, phonic, Platonic, Plutonic, polyphonic, quadraphonic, sardonic, saxophonic, siphonic, Slavonic, sonic, stereophonic, subsonic, subtonic, symphonic, tectonic, Teutonic, thermionic, tonic, transonic, ultrasonic
•Dubrovnik
•Munich, Punic, runic, tunic
•refusenik • nudnik • kibbutznik
•sputnik • Metternich
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"tectonic." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tectonic." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-tectonic.html "tectonic." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-tectonic.html |
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