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The image below is a cross-section through the Earth's interior. Tectonic plates of the lithosphere are shown in grey at the Earth's surface. The Earth's mantle is shown in red-orange. Black arrows in the lithosphere show the directions in which tectonic plates move. Red arrows in the mantle represent convection currents.

Image courtesy of USGS

According to the diagram, which of the following is true?
A.
Near Earth's surface, convection currents and tectonic plates tend to move in the same directions.
B.
Near Earth's surface, convection currents and tectonic plates tend to move in opposite directions.
C.
Tectonic plates move in only one direction.
D.
Convection currents move in only one direction.

User Simon Martinelli
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2 Answers

12 votes
12 votes

Answer:

Answer is b. Cannot see the attached image though.

Step-by-step explanation:

User Zalogatomek
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3.1k points
17 votes
17 votes

The answer is A. Near Earth's surface, convection currents and tectonic plates tend to move in the same directions.

The image shows the Earth's interior with convection currents in the mantle (red arrows) and the movement of tectonic plates in the lithosphere (black arrows). The arrows for both convection currents and tectonic plates are pointing in the same direction, which visually indicates that they are moving in the same direction.

Here's why this is the case:

* Convection currents: The Earth's mantle is hot and fluid, and the heat from the Earth's core causes the mantle to rise in plumes. As the hot mantle rises, it cools and sinks back down. This creates a circular motion of the mantle, called convection currents.

* Tectonic plates: The Earth's surface is made up of tectonic plates that float on top of the mantle. The movement of these plates is driven by the convection currents in the mantle. As the hot mantle plumes rise, they push against the tectonic plates, causing them to move.

Therefore, the direction of the convection currents in the mantle influences the direction of movement of the tectonic plates near the Earth's surface. This is why option A is the correct answer.

The other options are incorrect because:

* B. Near Earth's surface, convection currents and tectonic plates tend to move in opposite directions: This is not supported by the image or scientific evidence.

* C. Tectonic plates move in only one direction: Tectonic plates can move in different directions, as shown by the black arrows in the image.

* D. Convection currents move in only one direction: Convection currents create a circular motion, so they do not move in only one direction.

The image below is a cross-section through the Earth's interior. Tectonic plates of-example-1
User Johnson Jason
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