Tectonics
Tectonics, (from the Greek for "builder", tekton), is a field of study within geology concerned generally with the structure of the crust of the Earth (or other planets) and particularly with the processes that create this structure. Since the 1960s, plate tectonics has become by far the dominant theory of tectonics of the Earth's crust. Other theories, such as earth expansion, have been championed by small groups in the scientific community but have not achieved wide acceptance. Geologic explanations derived from religion, such as creationism, are widely believed in some cultures but are not generally regarded by geologists as scientific. Evidence of plate tectonics has not yet been observed on any other body in the solar system.
- See Also: Continental drift, Geophysics, Earthquake, Evolution, Seismology, Volcano
