In the previous section we described how plate tectonics controls many things on the earth both today and in the past. Here we’ll describe the forces that drive the movements of plates, the patterns of how plates have moved and how computer modelling lets us understand the links between the deep mantle and the surface… Continue reading What drives plate tectonics?
Tag: subduction
Plate tectonics
Deep in the earth, solid rocks can flow, but the surface layers are cold rigid plates that move across the surface. This means that continents are constantly drifting across the earth and oceanic crust is being created and destroyed. Plate tectonics is one of the most successful scientific theories of the Twentieth Century. It explains… Continue reading Plate tectonics