what discovery helped lead to the theory of plate tectonics?
It was concluded that hot rock from the mantle was rising up through the lithosphere and pushing the sea floorâand the continents on either sideâapart. This finding provided the mechanism to explain the purposeful movement of Earthâs plates and led to the development of the first theory of plate tectonics. Today Cooper is among a new generation of geologists who study what could be called âpostâ plate tectonics. Taking the field up a notch, she investigates similar processes on other planets and asks why Earth has plate tectonics in the first place.