By studying the tectonic plates sejentists found that the plates movenor floa because of the intense heat underneath them. There are immense pr work in the core, mantle and crust. Put together, these press es cause the tecton plates to move or slip, sometimes causing earthquakes tsunamis. and volcanoe big continental plates include the Pacific Plate that extends almost to Japa and runs down the West side of North and South America. But it is the tiny India Plate that pushes northward into the iargest plate of all: the Eurasian Plate. Th collision of these two plates created the Himalaya and Karakoram mounta ranges. Earthquakes occur when two plates rub up against each other. Eventuall one plate will give Way and slip under the other plate. This sudden moveme sometimes only one meter, has tremendous consequences. In the Pacific Ocea tidal waves are started. The 2004 tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean a hit Indonesia Thailand, and Sri Lanka, killing 230,000 people, is an example continental drift and plate tectonics