tectonic

Thousands of kilometers below North America, far below those drips, they saw another tectonic plate.

In the rift valleys, where tectonic plates are splitting apart, magma heats up seawater and creates dark jets of water and minerals as hot as 400℃ (752℉), that form elaborate chimneys and towers.

The squeezing of the planet, combined with the weight of quintillions of tons of water sloshing on and off the tectonic plates, creates enormous stresses below and begins to cause earthquakes of increasing magnitude and intensity.