how does convection help plate tectoic movement?

Question

i need this to help me in school. Thank You!

Answer 1

The mechanisms of tectonic plate movement is quite complex, but in its simplest terms, tectonic plates float on molten magma of the earth's interior. Convection currents within the molten magma behave similarly to convection currents in a pan of water being heated on the stove. Water on the bottom of the pan is heated and begins to rise because it is slightly less dense than the cooler water on the top. The cooler is slightly more dense and begins to sink. As this water is heated, it begins to rise, thus a convection movement or convection current is created in the water in the pan.

Magma is far more dense than water and is much hotter, but it is still a fluid. Magma near the core is hotter than the magma beneath the crust. Hotter magma moves up, cooler magma moves down, very very very slowly, but none the less, it moves. The crust, a.k.a. tectonic plates float on the magma. Float some pieces of Styrofoam on the water in the pan. What happens? The foam moves around by the convection forces in the water. Tectonic plates do the same thing. Its just not as fast.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

In convection, the newly warmed liquid rises, and somewhere it must get cooler and fall again. Because of the enormous viscosity of the mantle, this up-and-down movement takes place most easily in approximately globular cells, which are about as wide from side to side as they are deep from the crust to the outer surface of the core.

So very roughly speaking, wherever warm magma is rising, it then travels about 3000 miles sideways before cooling and descending again. The crustal plates just go with the sideways flow.

Answer 3

Simply saying that the hot magma getting cold after it radiated its heat to outer surface of the earth. Normally the cold Magmas density increases and goes down.So it makes a circle of rotation either clock wise or anticlockwise wise. The tectonic plates resting on the magma moves away from other tectonic plate or pushes the other plate. Please visit My slide show at URL you will under stand it.
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