Tectonic plates

The swarm started on June 19 and so far three of the earthquakes have been above magnitude 5.

Researchers have found the counterclockwise movement is down to the lithosphere, rather than a mantle plume rising from the deep.

"Finding these 'lost' pieces is like finding a missing piece of a puzzle. The scientific puzzle of the ancient Earth can't be complete without all of the pieces," said researcher Maya Kopylova.

"The ocean floor is just as variable and interesting in its geology as the continents," planetary scientist James O'Donoghue said.

When exactly plate tectonics emerged and how it has evolved through time are two of the most significant and hotly debated questions in Earth sciences today.

The collision triggers a chemical reaction that causes carbon dioxide to be sucked from the atmosphere.

The largest of the quakes measured 4.5 on the Richter scale.

Four scientific scenarios for how Earth's tectonic plates might move over the next 200 million years or so.

Three times more water than previously estimated is being dragged down through Earth's subduction zones .

The quake struck 60 miles from the Bushehr nuclear plant in the south of the country.

A recent study further unravels the mystery of Yellowstone's volcanic system.

Molten rock deep below Earth's surface could have been crucial to life taking off.

Giant global networks of rift valleys had an impact way above the surface of the Earth.

The borehole revealed extreme underground heat and fluid pressure that could be used as a source of geothermal energy.

The continent likely broke off from a supercontinent hundreds of millions of years ago.