0
Earth's crust and the solid rocky and brittle upper mantle are known as the lithosphere. This is broken up into a number of different sections or pieces known as tectonic plates.
Underlying the lithosphere is the asthenosphere made up of the softer mantle rocks that behave as a viscous fluid (like an extremely thick treacle).
Heat within the earth causes the asthenosphere to convect. This movement causes the overlying lithosphere to move as well.
Also where mantle material rises to shallower depths it undergoes a process known as decompression melting. This causes the formation of magma which rises to Earth's surface. This hot (and therefore lower density) material forms a raised area in the Earth's crust known as a mid-ocean-ridge. Gravity acts to try and pull the buoyant hot new crust back down and this force is transferred horizontally through the crust in a process known as "Ridge Push". As the material cools and travels away from the mid-ocean -ridge it sinks slightly back down due to it's increased density and so lower buoyancy.
Ultimately this dense oceanic crust may meet a tectonic plate composed of continental crust which has a lower density and is more buoyant than the oceanic crust. Because of this the denser oceanic crust is forced down below the continental crust. This process is known as subduction. The force of gravity acting on the subducting slab is transferred into the rest of the slab acting to pull it towards the subduction zone. This process is known as "slab pull".
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agothe earth's crust is made up of 7 rigid,irregularly shaped plates(slabs). these are called lithospheric plates. these plates move because of the molten magma under the earth's crust which move in a circular motion that's why the earth's crust moves and earthquakes occurs
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoAll of it. The crust floats on the mantle and is moved around by the flow of mantle rock on the tops of convection cells.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoby bubbling hot magma in the earth's inner core, erupting from volcanoes and causing earthquakes which cause the crustal plates to move.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoTitonic plates make earths crust move making earth quakes
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoConvection Currents
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
How do scientists think the earth crust's move?
It moved because of tectonics plates. Even earthquakes can move the Earth's crust!
Why is the earth's crust in constant motion?
Convection currents of heat underneath the earth's crust in the mantle (magma) cause the tectonic plates of the earth's crust to move.
How does the earth's plates move on top of the crust?
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.
Earthquakes happen when these sections of Earth's crust move?
earthquakes happen when these sections of earths crust move
What layer of the earth do the continents move on?
the crust is the top layer of the earth
How do scientists think the earth crust's move?
It moved because of tectonics plates. Even earthquakes can move the Earth's crust!
How far does the earth's crust move in one year?
It depends on the crust....
Why the crust move?
the earth's crust is made up of 7 rigid,irregularly shaped plates(slabs). these are called lithospheric plates. these plates move because of the molten magma under the earth's crust which move in a circular motion that's why the earth's crust moves and earthquakes occurs
When earthquake happen when these sections of earth crust move?
earthquakes happen when these sections of earths crust move
Why is the earth's crust in constant motion?
Convection currents of heat underneath the earth's crust in the mantle (magma) cause the tectonic plates of the earth's crust to move.
Is the Earth's crust is in motion?
Convection currents of heat underneath the earth's crust in the mantle (magma) cause the tectonic plates of the earth's crust to move.
Why is the Earth's crust in constant in motion?
Convection currents of heat underneath the earth's crust in the mantle (magma) cause the tectonic plates of the earth's crust to move.
Why is earth's crust in constant motion?
Convection currents of heat underneath the earth's crust in the mantle (magma) cause the tectonic plates of the earth's crust to move.
How does the earth's plates move on top of the crust?
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.
Earthquakes happen when these sections of Earth's crust move?
earthquakes happen when these sections of earths crust move
How does the convection currents cause te crust of the Earth to move?
Because the convection currents involve the Earth's crust.
What layer of the earth do the continents move on?
the crust is the top layer of the earth
