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The mechanism is not yet fully understood, but it is believed by most geologists that convection of magma within the mantle causes the movement of the tectonic plates. Hotter magma rises within the mantle toward the underside of the plates, and cooler magma descends.
More recent research suggests that the strongest driving force in plate tectonics is actually gravity. This is due to the self weight of newly formed and relatively buoyant oceanic crust at spreading centres "floating" higher on the asthenosphere than the surrounding older, cooler crust. The self weight or vertical stress produced by this thicker layer is transmitted horizontally into the older crust, pushing it away from the spreading centre. This is known as "ridge push".
A process known as "slab pull" also occurs where subduction is occurring at convergent plate boundaries. This is caused by the self weight of the descending subducting slab acting to pull the rest of the oceanic lithosphere towards the subduction zone.
What the changes are is it tosses trees makes the earth feel
Lincoln Wolf
Wiki User
∙ 16y agoShifting of the Tectonic plates under the earth.
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What is break in the earthes crust?
fault
What are the layers of the earthes crust?
the crust is a single layer
What is the breakdown of the earthes crust into sediment called?
weathering
What is the movement of large segment of the earthes crust?
i am not positive, but possibly continental drift
What is the distance from the earth to the center of the earthes crust?
It is about 345,234 ft far from lizbeth and marlen
What pushes up the Earth's crust without folding or faulting and also forms mountains?
magma and rocks push the earthes crust up it forms a fold mountain
Why is the earths crust always moving?
Simple- Convection in the mantle causes mantle to slowly move, and it pushes against the crust. As it does this, the tectonic plates move.
When plates of earth's crust move and then rapidly release occur?
It causes earthquakes.
Gravity causes groundwater to move through connecting pores of earth crust?
gravity does do that
Force that cause continents to drift?
plate tectonics The friction between the convective masses in the mantle and the crust overlaying it causes the crust to move.
What in the mantle is the force that causes the plates to move slowly over the crust?
sea floor spreadong
Why does wind energy move?
Wind is caused by the uneven heating of the Earth's crust. This causes air to move and therefor generate energy.
