tectonics

noun

tec·​ton·​ics tek-ˈtä-niks 

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

1

: geologic structural features as a whole

2

a

: a branch of geology concerned with the structure of the crust of a planet (such as the earth) or moon and especially with the formation of folds and faults in it

b

: tectonism

Examples of tectonics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The region is seismically active, the USGS said, and the initial quake appears to have been within the vicinity of a triple-junction of tectonics, between the Anatolia, Arabia and Africa plates. —Dennis Romero, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2023

Studying volcanoes means understanding tectonics better, and that means understanding earthquakes better, and that means saving thousands of lives and perhaps billions of dollars. —Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2011

Christopher Jackson studies basin analysis (in other words, how sediment and tectonics creates and fills valleys and depressions on Earth) at Imperial College. —Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2017

These complex tectonics of the island nation mean that much of the country is rugged and mountainous. —Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2018

Word History

Etymology

tecton(ic) + -ics, probably after German Tektonik

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tectonics

• plate tectonics

Kids Definition

tectonics

noun

tec·​ton·​ics tek-ˈtän-iks 

1

: a branch of geology concerned with the structure of the crust of a planet (as earth) or moon and especially with the formation of folds and faults in it

2

: tectonism