ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Klippe

Klippe is a funny sounding word that means a special type of rock that looks like it has been cut out from a bigger rock. It's kind of like when you use scissors to cut out a picture from a piece of paper. Only instead of paper, we're talking about big old rocks here.

Now, klippes are really special because they're like little puzzle pieces that help us understand how the earth's crust moves and changes over time. You see, the earth's crust is made up of a bunch of big pieces called tectonic plates. And these plates are always moving and bumping into each other. When two of these plates come together, sometimes one will slide on top of the other and take a little piece with it. And that little piece is what we call a klippe!

So basically, a klippe is a little piece of one tectonic plate that has been shoved up onto another plate. And scientists can study these klippes to figure out how the earth's crust moves and changes over time. Cool, right?

Now, I know that was a lot of big words, so let's sum it up: klippes are special rocks that help scientists learn how the earth's crust moves and changes over time. And they look like little puzzle pieces that have been cut out of a bigger rock.