Convection. E2020
Chat with our AI personalities
Magma itself does not force the plates to move. Plate movement is caused by convection currents in the mantle because of intense heat from the Earth's core.
asthenosphere
Hard rocks form the outer layer of the Earth (the lithosphere) which includes the crust and upper mantle. Rocks of the remaining mantle are in a plastic state, able to move, bend and deform without breaking.
The lithosphere is the brittle surface layer composed of the crust and uppermost mantle. The asthenosphere is the ductile upper mantle on which the lithosphere is able to move.
I recently did a report which included earthquakes, and I did a little research about your question. I'm not sure if what I found is entirely true, but the book I read said that scientists are not really sure. The book said that scientists thought that maybe it came from the mantle, where it is very hot. As the heat from mantle is released, it goes up to the crust in waves. These waves cause the tectonic plates to move with them.