Question

What processes drive motion of the plates?

Answer 1

Ridge push or sliding plate force is a proposed driving force for plate motion in plate tectonics that occurs at mid-ocean ridges as the result of the rigid lithosphere sliding down the hot, raised asthenosphere below mid-ocean ridges.The name comes from earlier models of plate tectonics in which ridge push was primarily ascribed to upwelling magma at mid-ocean ridges pushing or wedging the plates apart.

Answer 2

Earth's crust are pushing against each other miles below the Earth's surface, causing earthquakes, volcanoes and the movement of the continents. Approximately 30 plates are mapped out throughout the world. The plates consist of the Earth's crust and of the mantle, which is a thick layer of hot rock. Below that lies a sea of magma.


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