Geography
The Mechanics of Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift
Quick fact
The continents we live on drift about as fast as your fingernails grow—a few centimeters per year—yet this slow motion has built mountains, opened oceans, and rearranged the entire face of Earth over hundreds of millions of years.
Why this is interesting
You're standing on a continent that is actually moving right now. But what is making it move, and how can we know that it's happening?