Tectonic Plates
(www.worldatlas.com)
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The outermost layer of the Earth is the crust and after that comes the lithosphere, then the asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, and the inner core. Pieces of the lithosphere that move around on top of the asthenosphere are called tectonic plates. Not all tectonic plates are the same, for example, the size of the South American plate is much larger than the Cocos plate. The plates differ in other ways too, like some plates have entire continents on them and some don't. Tectonic plates "float" on the asthenosphere. The plates cover the surface of the asthenosphere. They touch one another and move around. Thick tectonic plates, such as those made of continental crust, displace more asthenosphere than do thin plates, such as those made of oceanic lithosphere.
(www.freewebs.com)
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