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there is convection in the mantle. it causes the plates to move.

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15y ago

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Drives the movements of the plates?

Convection currents in the mantle drive plate movements.


Does the magnetic field affect lithospheric plates?

No, the Earth's magnetic field does not directly affect the movement or behavior of lithospheric plates. The movement of lithospheric plates is primarily driven by processes such as mantle convection and seafloor spreading. The magnetic field does play a role in Earth's geology by providing valuable information about past plate movements recorded in rocks.


What powers earth's rock cycle?

Heat from the Earth's core which drives lithospheric plate movements, and provides a magnetosphere which allows an atmosphere to exist. english not random stuff please


What is a basal drag?

It is a force that could be contributing or complementing mantle convectional currents in the movements of lithospheric or tectonic plates. This force is generated when there is friction between convectional currents and the lithospheric or tectonic plate that lies above.


What layer drives the movement of plates?

Convection currents in the mantle drive plate movements.


What describes a cause of lithospheric plate movement across the surface of earth?

the plates are driven across the surface by convection currents within the plastic rock of the asthenosphere.


What is the mantle important?

The mantle is where convection cells are formed. Convection currents help stimulate the tectonic plate movements thus recycling sediments and soil.


What process drives the lithospheric plates across the surface of earth?

The process that drives the movement of lithospheric plates across the surface of the Earth is called plate tectonics. This movement is mainly driven by the heat generated from radioactive decay in the Earth's interior, which creates convection currents in the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath the lithosphere. These convection currents cause the lithospheric plates to move, leading to phenomena like seafloor spreading, subduction, and continental drift.


What lithospheric plate is the largest?

The last person to answer was a complete and total idiot. The correct answer is the Pacific Plate.


Why is the asthenosphere important to the theory of plate tectonics?

It is the movement of ductile rock in the asthenosphere caused by convection currents that creates movement of the lithospheric plates. It is the conveyor belt on which the plates move.


What mechanism moves lithospheric plates?

The movement of lithospheric plates is primarily driven by the process of plate tectonics. This movement is caused by the heat-driven convection currents in the Earth's mantle. As these currents circulate, they drag the overlying lithospheric plates along with them, causing the plates to move over time.


The theory of plate tectonics explains the movement of the plates by convection cells in which layers?

The theory of plate tectonics explains the movement of plates by convection cells in the Earth's mantle. These convection cells are caused by the heat from the Earth's core, which creates movement in the semi-fluid asthenosphere layer of the mantle, leading to the movement of the rigid lithospheric plates above it.