The Earth is moving constantly and so are the materials inside the Earth. The constant movement of the materials inside the Earth causes the sinking, uplifting, faulting and folding of the crust. Geologists have different views on the mechanism of the crustal movement. Plate tectonics is a theory that believes the Earth's lithosphere is made up of several plates and the plates are moved by the convection of the asthenosphere in the upper mantle.

The lithosphere is composed of seven major plates and many minor ones. The seven major plates are: Eurasian Plate, Pacific Plate, African Plate, North American Plate, South American Plate, Australian-Indian Plate and Antarctic Plate. The tectonic system, formed by the interactions among the plates, is called plate tectonics.