platelates
At the center of the earth is theorized to be a core of heavy metal, mostly iron, which is extremely hot due to pressure, lingering gravitational energy from the earth's formation, and breakdown of radioactive metals. The center is probably solid due to the extreme pressure and is surrounded with extremely hot liquid molten metal. Above this is a vast region (most of earth's volume) of semi-molten rock called the mantel. This region is in constant, but slow, motion as it carries heat from the interior up toward the surface of the planet. The mantel rock expands as it heats near the core and therefore becomes lighter. It rises until, near the surface it begins to lose heat, which causes it to become heavier and begins to sink again. The result is that the mantel is in constant motion with these convection currents moving from the interior outward, then back down again. The power of these mantel currents is unimaginable. They rise to within about 10-to-50 miles of the surface. Floating on top of the mantel, like the "skin" on a bowl of pudding, is the earth's crust. That's where we live. The crust is lighter rock, and cooler than the interior mantle. Heat from the interior transmits through the crust and oceans and radiates into space. The great force of the mantel's movement is so powerful, it breaks up the crust and drags the broken pieces about on the surface of the planet. These broken pieces of crust are called tectonic plates. The "plates" wander about, VERY slowly, on the surface parting from each other, or colliding with each other according to the mantel currents that drive them from below. Where the plates part, a rift in the crust occurs, such as the mid-Atlantic rift that is causing the Atlantic Ocean to slowly expand. Where the plates collide, the heavier plate sinks beneath the lighter plate and causes earthquakes and volcanoes to trouble us tiny dwellers of our planet's fragile crust.
The Earth's crust is a hardened "shell" compared to the rest of the composition of the Earth. The crust is not solid but broken up into a series of plates called tectonic plates which shift around and jostle for position "floating" above the mantle below.<br>
They are bits of the earth's crust which are split. There are many plates including Indo-Australian, Eurasian and Nazca. There are often lots of earthquakes and volcanoes near the edges of plates.
they are..............................................................................................................................earth crust plates!!
The Earth's crust has what are called tectonic plates.
Tectonic plates
south America plate
plates
Large pieces of the Earth's crust are called tectonic plates. Currently, there are 7 to 8 major tectonic plates in the Earth's crust.
They are called plates!
The Earth's crust
20 plates
The different pieces that the Earth's crust is broken into are known as tectonic plates.
There are 43 plates on the earth.
plates of the earth's crust that float on top of the molted mantle layer.
plates
Large pieces of the Earth's crust are called tectonic plates. Currently, there are 7 to 8 major tectonic plates in the Earth's crust.
The crust. All of the Earths crust are part of techtonic plates.
The Earth's tectonic plates do not move on top of the crust, they are the crust. The crust is made out of plates. The plates float on top of the mantle, which is made of molten rock, called magma. The plates move because of currents in the magma.
They are called plates!
There are currently 14 continental and oceanic plates that make up the earth's crust.
The earth's crust is made up of tectonic plates.
The earth's crust is made up of tectonic plates.
The Earth's crust