Final answer:
Tectonic plates are large pieces of the Earth's crust that move and interact with each other, causing geological events like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tectonic plates are large pieces of the Earth's crust that make up the Earth's lithosphere. These plates float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere below them. They are a mechanism by which the crust of the Earth moves, causing various geological events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
There are several major tectonic plates, including the Eurasian Plate, the North American Plate, and the Pacific Plate. These plates interact with each other along their boundaries, which can be divergent (moving apart), convergent (colliding), or transform (sliding past each other).
For example, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a divergent boundary where the Eurasian Plate and North American Plate are moving apart, causing the formation of new crust. The Himalayas, on the other hand, are an example of a convergent boundary where the Eurasian Plate and the Indian Plate are colliding, resulting in the uplift of the mountain range.
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