What principle explains the movement and interactions of large plates on the Earth's surface?

The principle that explains the movement and interactions of large plates on the Earth's surface is plate tectonics. This scientific theory describes how the Earth's lithosphere, which is divided into tectonic plates, moves and interacts with one another. These interactions can lead to various geological phenomena, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountain ranges.

Plate tectonics encompasses not only the movement of plates but also the processes that occur at their boundaries, including the formation of new crust at divergent boundaries, subduction at convergent boundaries, and lateral slipping at transform boundaries. The theory is supported by extensive geological, geophysical, and geochemical evidence and is foundational to our understanding of geological activity on Earth.

The other options, while related to geological concepts, do not encompass the full range of interactions and movements described by the theory of plate tectonics. Continental drift specifically refers to the movement of continents over geological time but does not directly explain the interactions of all tectonic plates. Plate interactions are a part of plate tectonics but do not solely define the overarching theory. Earth dynamics is a broader term that encompasses various aspects of Earth's systems and processes, but it lacks the specificity of plate tectonics regarding the movement of the plates themselves.