How were the continental plates formed?

Question

where do they come from? are new ones made? do they get bigger?
whatever eLse you think i wouLd Like to know.

Answer 1

The plates are continuously being formed. The Mid-Atlantic Trench bubbles up molten lava and pushes Europe and north America farther apart all the time. The North American plate is sliding under the Pacific plate at the same time, re-melting the seafloor off the West coast.

In a million years, there will be no land between North and South America.

Where there is resistance to the spread, mountains rise up, which is why most mountain ranges are on a north-south axis. The Himalayas were once at sea level.

Answer 2

The easiest way to understand plate techtonics is to watch the cooling liquid lava in Hawahi. As the lava cooles plates form and collide with each other with one sliding under the other. Pressure at this point causes ridges which relate to the forming of mountains. In other areas the hot lava pushes up pushing the plates apart. The whole system basically works on convestion currents.

Answer 3

Continental plates are being formed due to the mantle/crust differentation. Since the mantle moves plastically, when radioactive elements heat it up, the lighter elements rise to the surface. Also, minerals such a olivine first cool elements like iron and they are put into basalt, which makes up the seafloor plates. As oceanic crust cools it gets heavier and sinks, eventually being subducted by other oceanic crust. This causes heating due to friction and the birth of continental crust results.

Answer 4

These nanotubes, grown by thermal Chemical Vapour Deposition (a chemical process often used in the semiconductor industry), are promising candidates for integration into existing nanoelectronic devices.

This result also sheds new light on the possible mechanisms that occur during carbon nanotube growth. Previously, the assumption that the catalyst has to be liquid often dominated carbon nanotube growth model considerations, but at these lower temperatures evidence has been found of a solid catalyst. These findings extend to the catalytic growth of other nanostructures in general.

Answer 5

The theory of plate tectonics (meaning "plate structure") was developed in the 1960's. This theory explains the movement of the Earth's plates (which has since been documented scientifically) and also explains the cause of earthquakes, volcanoes, oceanic trenches, mountain range formation, and many other geologic phenomenon.

Answer 6

They were formed when the atmosphere surrounding the planet formed and cooled the magma enough to form a crust. They are constantly being formed by pressure pushing outward from inside the earth.

I don't know for sure but I'd imagine they do get bigger.

Answer 7

the plates that are continemts are just high spots on the Earth.

Did you know that Comets are like 80A% water and there was a time in Earth history when we were bombarded enough that Comets actually brought a LOT of water to Earth?

Continents aren't necessarily tectonic plates, i think most continents are pieced together by several plates.

Answer 8

So, chuckufarley, God created plate tectonics, did he? He wanted all those people to die in agony crushed in Earthquakes, choked to death by volcanoes and battered and drowned by tsunami?

That's a funny old God you got there, mate.

Answer 9

stresses in the crust and there will be new ones but not on a human time scale ( they were all one continent at one time and they are always moving and merging ----all ones on the surface anyway )

Answer 10

IN the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and He created the heavens and the Earth..