Lithosphere

thumb|upright=1.35|Earthquake epicenters occur mostly along tectonic plate boundaries, especially on the Pacific [[Ring of Fire.]]

scientific theory that describes the large-scale motions of Earth's lithosphere

thumb|upright=1.35|The tectonic plates of the lithosphere on Earth thumb|upright=1.35|Earth cutaway from center to surface, the lithosphere comprising the crust and lithospheric mantle (detail not to scale)

right|thumb|upright=1.5|An illustration showing groundwater in aquifers (in blue) (1, 5 and 6) below the [[water table (4), and three different wells (7, 8 and 9) dug to reach it.]]

thumb|upright=1.85|Diagram of the geological process of subduction

area where two tectonic plate collide

pollution that occurs when when pollutants are released to the ground and seep down into groundwater

thumb|upright|Laminations of ice in a sheet of aufeis Aufeis ( ) (German for "ice on top") is a sheet-like mass of layered ice that forms from successive flows of ground or river water during freezing temperatures. This form of ice is also called overflow, icings, or the Russian term, naled (). The term "Aufeis" was first used in 1859 by Alexander von Middendorff following his observations of the phenomenon in northern Siberia.

level representing a mechanical difference between layers in Earth’s inner structure