Consequences of
Plate Tectonics


Past and future consequences of plate tectonics for the Earth's surface are enormous.

Some Past and Present Consequences

Plate tectonics has been responsible for many of the features that we find on the surface of the Earth today. A few examples include Here are links to animations of the motion of continental plates for the last 750 million years.

Some Future Consequences of Plate Tectonics

Plate tectonics is still an active process, and will drastically reshape the face of the Earth over the next 50 million years or so. A few consequences of plate tectonics based on projections of present motion include: As a consequence of plate tectonics (supplemented by wind and water erosion), we live on the surface of a geologically active planet that has obliterated most of its early geological history.