what does a tectonic plate do
From the deepest ocean trench to the tallest mountain, plate tectonics explains the features and movement of Earth's surface in the present and the past. Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle, the rocky inner layer above the core.The plates act like a hard and rigid shell compared to Earth's mantle.This strong outer layer is called the lithosphere.Developed from the 1950s through the 1970s, plate tectonics is the modern version of continental drift, a theory first proposed by scientist Alfred Wegener in 1912.he plates act like a hard and rigid shell compared to Earth's mantle. This strong outer layer is called the lithosphere. Developed from the 1950s through the 1970s, plate tectonics is the modern version of continental drift, a theory first proposed by scientist Alfred Wegener in 1912.