TECTONIC PLATES

Tectonic plates
- large pieces of the Earth’s crust and
its topmost mantle. When viewed
together, they form the lithosphere.

-these plates are 62 miles thick

and are made up of two types of
material, the continental crust and
the oceanic crust.
What Causes Tectonic Plates To Move?
The first of the possible reasons is
the mantle convection currents.
These currents are warm, and
they can carry and drive the
tectonic plates that make up the
lithosphere in a way that
resembles a conveyor belt.
The second reason often cited
by researchers is the ridge
push. The ridge push occurs at
the resilient upwelling mantle
at ridges placed on the mid-
ocean level.
The third force that causes the
tectonic plates to move is the slab
pull. This force occurs when the
older plates start to sink. As the
plates age, they become colder, which
makes them denser than the mantle
beneath them. They start to sink and
pull the warmer parts of the plate
with them.
Convergent Boundaries

- Tectonic plates move against or

toward each other.

-heavier plate subducts beneath the

more bouyant plate. Crusts are
destroyed and brought down
through the process of subduction
into Earth’s interior.