If a plate with oceanic lithosphere meets another plate, the dense oceanic lithosphere dives beneath the other plate and sinks into the mantle: this process is called subduction. What is one of the main things that cause plate tectonics to move? A tectonic plate is a large slab of solid rock with an irregular shape that is made up of the oceanic and continental lithosphere. These slow moving currents circulate as shown in the figure below and and exerts drag on the bottom on the lithospheric plate. Plate tectonics form the oceans, continents, and mountains. Several mechanisms have been proposed, mainly ridge push, mantle drag, and slab pull (see this page from the British Geological Survey).However, there is now a good agreement that slab pull is the main driving force of plate tectonics.It means that it is the subducting plate which controls the velocity of the plate's movement. The size of the plate varies to a large extent, ranging from a few hundred to thousands of kilometers. Heated soup rises to the surface, spreads and begins to Volcanoes form when tectonic plates collide and one plate is pushed beneath another.Tectonic plates also move away from one another to produce volcanoes.Volcanoes also form when plates move apart. Even though plates move very slowly, their motion, called plate tectonics, has a huge impact on our planet. Magma rises up and erupts on the surface as lava where the plates separate, … There are three different ways the plates move : the plates can move past each other, they can move apart from each other or they can move … It moves in a pattern called a convection cell that forms when warm material rises, cools, and eventually sink down. The theory, which solidified in the 1960s, transformed the earth sciences by explaining many phenomena, including mountain building events, … Plates at our planet’s surface move because of the intense heat in the Earth’s core that causes molten rock in the mantle layer to move. Tectonic plate boundaries The Earth's mantle under the crust is hot and flexible so the plates (puzzle pieces) are able to move, but they do so very, very slowly. Plate Tectonics • What are the “plates” • What causes them to move • What are the different types of plate boundaries • What features are associated with plate boundaries . 2 See answers genesish652 is waiting for your help. First of all, it is important to know that the Earth's crust is broken up into large pieces called tectonic plates. Permalink Submitted by Gordon Jenkins (not verified) on Thu, 09/02/2017 - 05:11 Morning Porridge is a really good starting point, if you consider that consistency, temperature, depth, volume, surface temperature vs. hot core spots, the addition and timing, temperature and volume of milk added. This frictional force is what causes the plates to move. The driving forces of plate tectonics has long been debated. Re: What causes tectonic plates to move? edu, in, Tectonic 7:39 PM. A + A-Print Email. Tectonic plates move around and can cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. See full answer to your question here.Subsequently, one may also ask, how do plate tectonics cause volcanoes? What Causes the Plates Tectonic to Move? The sinking oceanic lithosphere drags the rest of the tectonic plate: this is the main cause of plate motion. zboigames1409 ... rickmork1 rickmork1 Answer: The heat from radioactive processes within the planet's interior causes the plates to move, sometimes toward and sometimes away from each other. ... so something has to move in to fill that one, and so on and so on until the stuff which moved in the first place does the filling and the circle is complete. Home edu in Tectonic. Plates at the surface of the Earth move due to intense heat from the core of the planet. It also helps us understand why and where events like earthquakes occur and volcanoes erupt. Convection is like a boiling pot. Add your answer and earn points. 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