There are lots of tectonic plates. Generally, scientists name 7-8 major plates, an additional 6-7 secondary plates (the Indo-Australian plate is sometimes separated into the Indian and Australian - thus the variation in number of major and secondary plates), and 60 or so minor plates. The major plates account for most of Earth's landmass. There is a good article explaining this in more detail here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tectonic_plates
The sudden vibration in the plates inside the crust causes the earths crust to rise & fall.
a fault
tectonic plates
Tectonic plates are the moving pieces under the Earth's surface that form the Earth's crust. These plates float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere and interact with each other through processes like subduction, spreading, and collision, which contribute to the shaping of Earth's surface features.
crack in earths crust where two plates are sliding past each other
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The crust
earths crust
its the earths crust
The sudden vibration in the plates inside the crust causes the earths crust to rise & fall.
the movement of earths plates or crust
Plate Techtonics.
No the tectonic plates are on top of the crust.
The movement in earths plates create powerful forces that pull or squeeze the rock in the crust.
The worlds tectonic plates slide on the earths mantle.
There called tectonic plates, and they do not float on anything.