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You may be looking for the term continental drift, but a more accurate answer to your question is that tectonic plates can move because they float on the underlying magma, so the process that allows them to move is simply floating.

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12y ago

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Related Questions

What part of the mantle allows tectonic plates to move?

The lithosphere.


What allows tectonic plates to move on mantle?

convection currents


What allows the tectonic plates in the lithosphere to move?

the hot magma moves around and they move.


What is the Role of asthenosphere in the movement of tectonic plates?

The asthenoshere acts like jello and allows the lithosphere, containing the plate, to move. Tectonic plates could not move without the asthenoshere.


What is the difference between plate tectonic and tectonic plate?

Plate Tectonics is the process by by which the earth's tectonic plates move.


What semi liquid layer do the tectonic plates float on?

The tectonic plates float on the asthenosphere, which is a semi-liquid layer located beneath the lithosphere. The asthenosphere consists of partially molten rock that allows the rigid tectonic plates to move and interact with one another. It plays a key role in the process of plate tectonics.


Does magnetism make the tectonic plates move?

No(see the explanation of the question "Why do the tectonic plates move?"


What sort of energy allows tectonick plates to move?

The movement of tectonic plates is primarily driven by the energy released from the Earth's internal heat, known as geothermal energy. This energy causes convection currents in the mantle, which in turn exerts forces on the tectonic plates, causing them to move.


What is the role of the asthenosphere in the movement of the plates?

The asthenoshere acts like jello and allows the lithosphere, containing the plate, to move. Tectonic plates could not move without the asthenoshere.


Which region of the earth is soft and putty-like and allows for the movement of tectonic plates?

The asthenosphere is the region of the Earth that is soft and putty-like, located beneath the lithosphere. The asthenosphere allows for the movement of tectonic plates due to its semi-fluid state, which allows the plates to slide and move over it.


How do the physical properties of the asthehenasphere sopport the ideas of the continental drift?

The asthenosphere allows tectonic plates to move


Which layer in the geosphere supports the tectonic plates?

The upper layer. It is filled with melted liquid.