Why do tectonic plates on Earth’s surface move?(1 point)
1 The plates are surrounded by bodies of water that push the plates.
2The iron blocks in Earth’s core collide and move the plates.
3The heat from Earth’s core moves molten rock beneath the plates.
4The pressure from the ground pushes the plates apart.
3 The heat from Earth’s core moves molten rock beneath the plates.
The correct answer is:
3 The heat from Earth's core moves molten rock beneath the plates.
The correct answer is 3: The heat from Earth's core moves molten rock beneath the plates.
Tectonic plates are large pieces of Earth's lithosphere, which is made up of the crust and the upper part of the mantle. These plates float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere below them. The movement of tectonic plates is driven by convection currents in the underlying asthenosphere.
The heat from Earth's core creates convective currents in the asthenosphere. As the asthenosphere heats up, it becomes less dense and rises towards the surface. As it reaches the surface, it starts to cool down and becomes denser, causing it to sink back into the deeper parts of the mantle. This creates a continuous circular motion of the asthenosphere.
This convective motion causes the tectonic plates to move. As the asthenosphere rises beneath a plate, it pushes against it, causing the plate to move away. Similarly, as the asthenosphere sinks beneath a plate, it pulls the plate towards it. This process of rising and sinking of the asthenosphere is what drives the movement of the tectonic plates on Earth's surface.
Therefore, the correct answer is that the heat from Earth's core moves molten rock beneath the plates, which in turn leads to the movement of tectonic plates.