• Question: how do tectonic plates move???

    Asked by chimp 123 to Angela, Claire, Ian, Robert, Sarah on 17 Nov 2014. This question was also asked by the wheeler dealer.
    • Photo: Angela Stokes

      Angela Stokes answered on 17 Nov 2014:

      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. It moves in a pattern called a convection cell that forms when warm material rises, cools, and eventually sink down. As the cooled material sinks down, it is warmed and rises again.

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