Final answer:
Rocks bending without breaking due to plate movement is called plastic deformation, a result of the stress caused by plate tectonics which involves the movement of Earth's lithospheric plates.
Step-by-step explanation:
When rocks bend without breaking due to plate movement, it is known as plastic deformation. This occurs when the rocks experience stress beyond their elastic limit, and unlike brittle deformation, the rocks do not return to their original shape. Plate tectonics is the theory that explains such movements within Earth's mantle that cause the lithospheric plates to shift, creating various geological features through plate boundary interaction, which can be divergent, convergent, or transform.
These geological movements and interactions are essential components of Earth's natural processes, serving as a heat transfer system from the planet's interior to space. When continental masses on a collision course exert pressure against each other, the result can be the folding of Earth's crust, leading to the formation of mountain ranges such as the Alps, which were formed by the collision of the African and Eurasian plates.