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The crustal plates are less dense than the mantle but hard and solid. Because of heat convection currents in the plastic-like rock of the mantle, the crust is pushed and pulled as material from the mantle pushes it's way to the surface and is drawn down again, creating tectonic plate movement.
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∙ 15y ago
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What is it called when earths plates move together?
Tectonic convergence, or something like that.
What will the earths plates look like in 150 years?
Almost like they look now. Plate movement is extremely slow, about the rate of fingernail growth.
Why did earths continents shift?
They didn't. If you take out all the water from the seas and ocean, you would see the continents are still connected by land (save for the faults). Unless the tectonic plates were reduced to the incredibly small sizes therefore allowing them to shift like you are misled to believe, there is no chance of the continents shifting as they are all part of the ground, not floating.
What are the pieces of the puzzle if earths surface was a jigsaw puzzle?
The crust is also divided into large pieces called plates. The plates look like big puzzle pieces. Earth's Crust. The crust varies in thickness ...
What types of movement in Earths crust causes earthquakes?
When the two different kinds of plates collide, a part of the world starts to shake exactly like an earthquake.
What is the surface of the earth floating on?
The crust, on which we live on, is like islands of tectonic plates that are floating on the semi-molten magma.
How are crustal plates similar to ice floating on a pond?
The plates are floating on magma, and will eventually melt as they are subducted back into the mantle, just like ice melting as it floats in the water.
What plastic like layer has tectonic plates ride on it?
The middle layer of earth that is MANTLE. It has the tectonic plates floating on it.
What is the jigsaw like parts of the earths crust called?
Tectonic Plates
What is it called when earths plates move together?
Tectonic convergence, or something like that.
How do the Earth's continents move?
The continents move because of plate tectonics. The earth;s crust is made of many large and small pieces, called plates, that are floating on top of magma, molten rock. To get an idea what this is like, imagine water boiling. If you look into the pot you can see that it is moving in upward cycles. This is called convection currents. The Earths magma does this too, but much slower. Then imagine that you are making soup and the noodles are floating on top and colliding with each other as the soup boils. The continents floating on their tectonic plates are like the noodles, only when they collide together they cause earthquakes, volcanoes, caldera's, and these actions create islands or mountains, or sink holes, but usually just move the continents around.
Why isn't the Earths created like the moon and Mercury?
because of volcanic action, erosion and and tectonic plates grinding agaist each other it makes the Earth rocky and rough, but not making it cratered like the moon and mercury.
Why does tidal waves occur?
It happens due to the shifting of the earths plates.. Jus like a earthquake but it happens in the ocean!
In what ways do plates in the earths crust move?
they move in all sorts of ways like the bottom and the top lol :}
Why do they call the ring of fire the ring of fire?
The earths surface is made of plates. Basically these land masses are like big icebergs floating at sea. It is just these land masses are on a sea of molten rock. There is multiple plates that include Philippine Sea Plate, North American Plate, Eurasian Plate, Indo-Australian Plate, Nazca Plate and the Pacific Plate. Because the earths core releases gases that rise to the surface it will cause the plates to fall and the allows the gases to escape. If there were not plates or gaps in the surface that allowed the gases out the earths core would be like a pressure cooker and eventually explode.
What will the earths plates look like in 150 years?
Almost like they look now. Plate movement is extremely slow, about the rate of fingernail growth.
What can tectonic plates form when they divide?
When tectonic plates divide they create divergent boundaries, which can cause the earths surface to divide and split up, almost like when you rip a piece of paper
