Final answer:
Plate tectonics describes the movement of Earth's lithosphere, driven by mantle convection currents, resulting in various geological phenomena such as earthquakes. Tectonic plates can diverge, converge, or slide past one another, with subduction zones, mid-ocean ridges, and oceanic trenches as key features affecting plate motion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Plate tectonics is a geological theory that describes the large-scale motions of Earth's lithosphere. This motion is driven by the dynamic activity in the Earth's mantle. Heat from the Earth's interior causes convection currents in the mantle; these currents act to move the tectonic plates atop the Earth's surface. Tectonic plate boundaries can interact in several ways: divergent (moving apart), convergent (moving toward each other), and transform (sliding past each other). These interactions often result in geological phenomena such as earthquakes, mountain-building, and volcanic activity.
Subduction zones, where one plate burrows under another, can trigger earthquakes and are usually associated with volcanic activity. In contrast, at mid-ocean ridges, new crust is formed as plates pull apart, and at oceanic trenches, plates converge and one dives beneath the other, leading to the creation of deep underwater canyons. Mantle plumes, which are columns of hot, solid material that arise within the mantle, can be considered a driving force for plate motion, as they create buoyancy that can push plates apart.