It has been thought that plate tectonics were a significant factor in the shaping of our planet and the evolution of life. Mars and Venus don't experience such movements of crustal plates, but ...

One of the most significant recent discoveries in plate tectonics is the confirmation of the Pontus plate, which once covered 15 million square miles—about a quarter of the Pacific Ocean.

Links to volcanism and earthquakes This new research shows that the mantle plume beneath the Afar region is not static, but dynamic and responsive to the tectonic plate above it.