tectonics
noun
tec·ton·ics tek-ˈtä-niks 
plural in form but singular or plural in construction
1
: geologic structural features as a whole
2
a
: a branch of geology concerned with the structure of the crust of a planet (such as the earth) or moon and especially with the formation of folds and faults in it
b
: tectonism
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The purity of the ice shell can impact its strength, ice tectonics and how heat flows through the shell. 
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Aug. 2022 Plate tectonics has, so far, only been observed on Earth, and may be essential to making a planet livable, Drabon said, which makes the origins of plate motions of interest in research into the early development of life. David Bressan, Forbes, 24 Apr. 2022 Typically, these types of formations need oceans and liquid water, as well as tectonics to form. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 7 June 2022 Binance’s chief executive Changpeng Zhao’s attempts to quell fears that the global crypto market was headed to a crash and that cryptos are still safe investments despite the current price tectonics only attracted more online vitriol. Faustine Ngila, Quartz, 17 May 2022 These studies mark only the beginning of what genome tectonics and genetic syntenies can teach us. Quanta Magazine, 2 Feb. 2022 Plate tectonics shapes Earth's atmosphere as well as its surface. David Bressan, Forbes, 24 Apr. 2022 Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte’s successful courting of longtime Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer last spring shifted the tectonics of women’s college basketball. Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Nov. 2021 Plate tectonics is one of the most romantic theories in all of science. Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 26 Oct. 2021 See More
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Aug. 2022 Plate tectonics has, so far, only been observed on Earth, and may be essential to making a planet livable, Drabon said, which makes the origins of plate motions of interest in research into the early development of life. David Bressan, Forbes, 24 Apr. 2022 Typically, these types of formations need oceans and liquid water, as well as tectonics to form. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 7 June 2022 Binance’s chief executive Changpeng Zhao’s attempts to quell fears that the global crypto market was headed to a crash and that cryptos are still safe investments despite the current price tectonics only attracted more online vitriol. Faustine Ngila, Quartz, 17 May 2022 These studies mark only the beginning of what genome tectonics and genetic syntenies can teach us. Quanta Magazine, 2 Feb. 2022 Plate tectonics shapes Earth's atmosphere as well as its surface. David Bressan, Forbes, 24 Apr. 2022 Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte’s successful courting of longtime Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer last spring shifted the tectonics of women’s college basketball. Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Nov. 2021 Plate tectonics is one of the most romantic theories in all of science. Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 26 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
tecton(ic) + -ics, probably after German Tektonik
First Known Use
1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1