Plate Tectonics (Mission: Science)

Earth’s crust is always moving and changing. It is made up of many individual pieces, called plates, which move and collide, pushed and pulled by molten magma under the planet’s surface. The movement of these plates creates landforms such as mountains and trenches, and causes natural phenomena such as volcanoes and tsunamis. Scientist Alfred Wegener was among the first to recognize the existence of these plates and explain their behavior. For more information, read Alfred Wegener: Pioneer of Plate Tectonics, another book in the Mission: Science series.