Activity 14: What Makes the Plates Move?

Activity 14: What Makes the Plates Move?

Evidence shows that Earth's lithospheric plates are constantly moving, because of the following driving forces:

• Gravity

• Convection

Multiple Select

What two things are the main forces that drive plate motion?

• Gravity

• Convection

• Conduction

• Air Presure

Gravity

Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward each other. At divergent plate boundaries, the volcanic landforms that make up mid-ocean ridges rise to around 2,000 meters above the sea floor. This height causes plates on either side of the ridge to move down the slope, away from the mid-ocean ridge due to gravity.

Multiple Choice

Gravity is a force that pulls objects ______________

• Upward

• Toward each other

• Away from each other

• Sideways

Slab Pull

• When an oceanic plate collides with another plate at a convergent boundary, one sinks into the mantle to form a trench.

• As the edge of the oceanic plate subducts the other plate, gravity pulls the rest of the plate down with it. The whole plate is pulled toward Earth's center.

• This downward movement of the plate due to gravity is called Slab Pull.

Multiple Choice

The downward movement of a plate due to gravity is called _______

• Slab Grab

• Slab Plop

• Slab Pull

• Slab Push

Look carefully at the black and red arrows...

Multiple Choice

Which part of this diagram do you think would represent Slab Pull?

• Red Arrows

• Black Arrows

Thermal Energy

• Another force that acts on plates is thermal energy from Earth's hot interior.

• Core is the hottest layer of Earth, and is hotter than the mantle so it transfers thermal energy to the mantle.

• Thermal energy is the internal energy of a substance due to the movement of particles within the substance.

Multiple Choice

Gravity acts on Earth's plates, and so does ________________.

• Thermal Energy

• Slab Pull

• Mid-Ocean Ridges

• Water

Multiple Choice

This is the hottest layer of Earth's interior.

• Crust

• Mantle

• Core

• Asthenosphere

Multiple Choice

The internal energy of a substance due to the movement of particles within the substance.

• Volcanoes

• Plate Boundaries

• Thermal Energy

• Slab Pull

Convection

• Scientists think that this transfer of thermal energy from core to mantle causes convection in the mantle.

• Convection is the transfer of thermal energy by the movement of matter of different temperatures.

• Convection is the driver of plate movement.

Multiple Choice

Scientists think that the transfer of thermal energy from core to mantle causes _________ in the mantle.

• Convection

• Subduction

• Induction

• Radiation

Multiple Choice

Convection is the transfer of thermal energy by the movement of matter of different _________.

• Colors

• Temperatures

• Depths

• Materials

Multiple Choice

Convection is the driver of ______________.

• the water cycle

• the rock cycle

• plate movement