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It is the oceanic plate that is subducted into the melting zone as it is the denser out of that and the continental plate. In fact, the continental plates have been known to chant such provocations as "going down going down going down" and "who's your daddy!" in the subduction zone.

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13y ago

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How can tectonic plates move thousands of miles?

Tectonic plates move thousands of miles because they are not anchored down.


How are mountains and plains created?

By two tectonic plates clashing against each other, forcing them either up or down


What happens if the tectonic plates are on top each other?

The lower plate subducts down into the mantle while frictional heating between the plates melts the rock of the plates, creating volcanoes in the upper plate.


What does a Divergent Boundary do?

these create rift valleys


Are all tectonic plates located at earth's core?

No tectonic plates are in or even near the earth's core! The tectonic plates are fragments of the earth's crust. At subduction zones the edge of the subducting tectonic plate descends as much as a few hundred miles down into the earth's mantle before melting and becoming part of the mantle.


What is the mechanism called that moves or drives the tectonic plates across the surface of the earth?

The way tectonic plates move is by the heat from the core that goes up to the mantle which pushes up the rock and pushes them together to form tectonic plates. Later the tectonic plates slowly go back down until the heat of the core reaches the mantle once again.


How do earthquakes cause tsunanis?

Tectonic plates move as earthquakes exists. The crust shakes. As a result, the water goes down to the tectonic plates and comes back as big waves not exceeding 10-15 meters.


How do hot spots help track tectonic plates?

The hot spots occur around the edges of tectonic plates as they grind, move or slide past each other. One plate will be pushed down into the mantle and heats up. This creates molten rock and forces capable of forming volcanoes. Mark the sites of volcanoes and the edges of the plates can be mapped.


What are tectonic plates and how do they form?

plate tectonics are formed from the the volcano ashes laying down new surfaces


If the asthenosphere cooled and stopped flowing how would you expect the movement of tectonic plates in the lithosphere to change Tectonic plates would?

If the asthenosphere stopped flowing due to cooling, tectonic plate movement in the lithosphere would likely slow down or even halt. The asthenosphere's convection currents drive the movement of tectonic plates by dragging them along as they flow. Without this driving force, the movement of tectonic plates would be significantly impacted, leading to reduced or stagnant plate motion.


What direction plates tectonic move in?

The earth's plates move in all directions: up, down, and sideways. That's why we have mountains and subsidances and earthquakes and volcanoes and all sorts of stuff!


Are earthquakes part of internal forces?

In short, yes. The internal forces of the earth both detract crust and add crust. When deep marine volcanoes create new crust on the surface it pushes tectonic plates out, these plates run into other tectonic plates and sub-duct (one pushes under the other) forcing the crust material down into the mantle to be recycled. Earthquakes are caused by plates either sliding along one another, or by one plate being pushed underneath another plate.