Earth Science 11

Quarter 2

Mechanisms that Drive the Movement of

Plates
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1.Identify the different mechanisms that drive the movement of plates
2. Explain the mechanisms that drive the movement of plates.

RECAP

Find the concealed words in the table. They may be arranged vertically, horizontally,
or diagonally and slant position. Encircle these hidden words.

D I V E R G E N T
C C I F I C A A R
O E X N P Z R B A
N S A M C E L C N
V A D A U M T I S
E N B L P Z S F F
G A C T O Y A I O
E N X W X F N C R
N D B C Q R D T M
T R E N C H E S E
O E B E D S S M Z
P A P A C I F I C
Y S A F A U L T A
 LESSON
The three forces that have been proposed as the main drivers of plate movements
are:
1. Mantle convection currents – mantle currents carrying plates of lithosphere along
on top, like shopping on a supermarket conveyor belt.

2. Ridge Push – newly-formed plates at oceanic ridges are warm, and so have a
higher elevation at the oceanic ridge than the colder, more dense plate material
farther away from the divergent boundary.
3. Slab Pull – older, colder plates sink at subduction zones because as they cool,
they become denser than the underlying mantle – so the sinking plate pulls the
rest of the plate along behind it.

Mechanisms that Drive the Movement of Plates

The crust is the outermost layer of the Earth where we live. It is a thin, rigid
layer that sits on top of a partially molten portion of the Earth’s mantle which makes up
the bulk of the Earth’s interior of the Earth. The crust is subdivided into older, thicker
continental crust and younger, denser oceanic crust. The next layer is the mantle which
is continuously churning due to convection within the Earth.
Convection is the circulation of material caused by the differences in density. It occurs
between the core and mantle or even between the asthenosphere and lithosphere.
Convection currents in the asthenosphere act like conveyor belts moving the lithosphere
above it. As the hot rock rises, it is removed from the heat source and cools down, which
causes an increase in density. Eventually, the rock becomes cool enough to begin sinking
to the core. The density of material shows that if the material is denser it sinks while if
it is less dense it rises. Aside from that, hot rock from deep within the Earth rises but
colder rock near the surface sinks. Earth’s plates move because the lithosphere floats on
the asthenosphere. It moves sideways and away from the mid-ocean ridge, where the
process starts all over. Examples of convections that occur on Earth are the global wind,
warm rising and local winds. The source of heat for convection currents are radioactive
materials found in the Earth’s core.
Slab pull is when the denser plate sinks, gravity pulls on the rest of the plate with a
force. The features associated with slab pull are the subduction and trench. Subduction
is a location where one plate is being pulled down into the mantle, melted, and recycled.

Ridge push is the result of gravitational forces acting on the young, raised oceanic
lithosphere around mid-ocean ridges, causing it to slide down because of the force of
gravity and similarly raised by weaker asthenosphere and push on lithospheric material
farther from the ridge. It is also the rising mantle material that creates the potential for
plates to move away from the ridge with a force. Because mid-ocean ridges are higher in
elevation, gravity pulls the surrounding rocks down and away from the ridge. The
features associated in ridge push are the Mid-Ocean ridge and rift valley. The mid-ocean
ridge is an elevated series of underwater volcanoes where new ocean crust is formed. The
rift valley is a location between two separating plates where new crust is formed

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1
Causes of Tectonic Plate Motion
I.
Objectives:
To be able to identify the different mechanisms that drive the movement of plates
according to its illustration.

II. Procedures:
1. Identify the different mechanisms that drive the movement of plates based on
the illustration.
2. After identifying the illustration. Be sure to describe each.
 Causes of Tectonic Plate Motion A.

B.

C.
 ACTIVITY 2

MECHANISMS

I. Objective: To identify and describe the illustration below.

II. Illustration:

3 5

2
1

III. Definition of terms based on the answers on the illustration:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.
 ACTIVITY 3
What Do I Know?

A. Guide Questions:
1.What happens in the convection currents?

2.What would happen if there was no convection current in the mantle?

3. What is the difference between ridge push and slab pull?

4. What are the features associated in slab pull and ridge push??
5. Where is the asthenosphere located? Describe it

B. Write (R) for related and (NR) for not related to the pair of word/s

1. Ridge push- mid-oceanic ridge

2. Slab pull- subduction zone
3. Slab pull- divergent
4. Ridge push- convergent
5.Convection current- Warm less dense material rises and cooler more dense material
sinks.

WRAP-UP
Direction: Match Column A with the correct answer in Column B. Write only the letter
of the correct answer on the space provided.

A B
______ 1. Slab Pull a. heat-driven

______ 2. Ridge Push b. slab pull force

______ 3. Divergent c. ridge push force
______ 4. Convergent d. gravitational force at spreading ridges
______ 5. Convection in the mantle e. gravitational force at subduction zones
 VALUING
Despite the current situation that we are facing nowadays, we should always
keep our hope and faith in God. We know that this kind of pandemic troubles a lot
of people, especially in the business environment. Not only that, but the educational
system has also been boiling news if we will continue in the opening of classes or not.
These become a problem for each of us teachers, parents, students, and also the
DepEd officials. We have learned about the mechanisms that drive the movement of
plates, the same with our educational system. Are we going to PUSH through the
opening of classes in spite that there is still coronavirus? Are you going to PULL it
down, not to continue your studies, and wait for the discovery of the corona vaccine?
Or you are the one, just like a CONVECTION CURRENT wherein you will follow the
flow?

POSTTEST

Encircle the letter of the correct answer:

1. The process by which heat from the Earth’s interior causes magma to rise and
sink.
a. Thermal convection
b. Ridge push
c. Slab pull
d. Trench suction

2. When the mantle pushes the edge of a tectonic plate higher, gravity can pull
down on it, causing the plate to move? a. Slab pull
b. Ridge push
c. Trench suction
d. Thermal convection
 3. Which layer of the Earth has convection currents?
a. Asthenosphere
b. Lithosphere
c. Mesosphere
d. Core

4.What is the composition of the lithosphere?

a. combination of the crust and mantle
b. composed of liquid core
c. a combination of mantle and core
d. composed of only continental crust

5. When a liquid become cooler, its particle moves more _______ and it becomes
_______.
a. quickly, denser
b. slowly, denser
c. quickly, less dense
d. slowly, less den