What scientific concept describes the behavior of tectonic plates along a fault line?

Plate tectonics is the scientific concept that describes the movement and interaction of the Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates. These plates float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere below and can move due to the convection currents in the Earth’s mantle. When these plates interact at fault lines, they can slide past each other, collide, or pull apart, which leads to various geological phenomena like earthquakes, mountain formation, and volcanic activity.

The idea of plate tectonics provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how these movements occur, the stress that builds up along fault lines, and how that stress is released, resulting in seismic activity. This is fundamental to the study of geology and helps explain the patterns of earthquakes and other geological events. Other choices, while related to geology and Earth sciences, do not specifically address the behavior of tectonic plates in relation to faults.