Tectonics ( from Latin , meaning `` building '' ) is a field within geology . It includes structures in the lithosphere of the Earth and the forces and movements that have operated to create these structures . Tectonics ( from the Vulgar Latin tectonicus , meaning `` building '' ) is a field of study within geology concerned generally with the structures within the lithosphere of the Earth ( or other planets ) and particularly with the forces and movements that have operated in a region to create these structures .