Chapter 17 Section 4 Causes of Plate Motion Questions

Explain the process of convection?

Convection is the circular motion that happens when warmer air or liquid which has faster moving molecules, making it less dense rises, while the cooler air or liquid drops down.

Compare and Contrast ridge push and slab pull

Ridge push is the weight of the uplifted ridge pushes an oceanic plate toward the trench formed at the subduction zone. While Slab pull is the weight of a subducting plate helps pull the trailing lithosphere into the subduction zone.

Explain how the parts of a convection current in the mantle are related to plate motions.

This lecture relates the movement of convection currents in Earth's mantle to the movement of Earth's tectonic plates.

Describe the formation of convection currents in the mantle.

are caused by the very hot material at the deepest part of the mantle rising, then cooling, sinking again and then heating, rising and repeating the cycle over and over.