Final answer:
The movement of tectonic plates is driven by the process known as 'asthenosphere convection', which occurs in the Earth's upper mantle. This heat transfer mechanism significantly affects the Earth's geology, driving the motion of tectonic plates, and thus playing a key role in the formation of continents, mountains, and other geologic structures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The movement of tectonic plates is controlled by the process of asthenosphere convection occurring in the upper part of the mantle. This process of convection is how the Earth efficiently transports heat from its interior to the surface. Tectonic plates, encompassing the Earth's crust and upper mantle, fit together like puzzle pieces. As these plates move due to convection, these movements result in notable geologic events and structures, such as earthquakes, mountains, and the 'drifting' of continents.
Convection occurs when heat is transferred from a warm region to a cooler one. In the context of plate tectonics, hotter, less dense material from the Earth's mantle rises, and when it reaches the surface, it cools and sinks back down. This continuous cycle drives the motion of tectonic plates. This mechanism of heat transfer, vital to the Earth's 'cooling system', also plays a key role in cycling crust material. New crust is formed in regions where plates move apart, and old crust is subducted, or forced under another plate, in regions where plates converge. Thus, the cycle of convection in the mantle directly influences the dynamics of plate tectonics at the Earth's surface.
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