Final answer:
Mantle convection involves heat transfer, driving the motion of tectonic plates through the rise of warm mantle material and sinking of cooler material. This convection results in the shifting of continental and oceanic plates, leading to geologic events and landscape formation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mantle convection is a process of heat transfer that creates circular currents in the asthenosphere. As a result, the tectonic plates slowly move. The Earth's crust and upper mantle are divided into several large pieces known as tectonic plates. Heat from the Earth's interior causes warmer material to rise and cooler material to sink, driving the circular motions through convection. These movements of the mantle material cause the tectonic plates to shift, which in turn leads to the movement of continents, formation of mountains, and can be associated with volcanic and seismic activity.
In some regions, such as the Atlantic Ocean, tectonic plates are diverging, while in others, like off the western coast of South America, the plates are converging. This activity at plate boundaries can result in earthquakes, creation of new crust, or the subduction of one plate beneath another. The concept of plate tectonics is fundamental to geology and explains the large-scale movements that shape the geological features of our planet. It serves as an efficient way for Earth to cool down, transferring heat from the hot interior towards the cooler exterior.