Earth's crust and the solid rocky and brittle upper mantle are known as the lithosphere. This is broken up into a number of different sections or pieces known as tectonic plates.
Underlying the lithosphere is the asthenosphere made up of the softer mantle rocks that behave as a viscous fluid (like an extremely thick treacle).
Heat within the earth causes the asthenosphere to convect. This movement causes the overlying lithosphere to move as well.
Also where mantle material rises to shallower depths it undergoes a process known as decompression melting. This causes the formation of magma which rises to Earth's surface. This hot (and therefore lower density) material forms a raised area in the Earth's crust known as a mid-ocean-ridge. Gravity acts to try and pull the buoyant hot new crust back down and this force is transferred horizontally through the crust in a process known as "Ridge Push". As the material cools and travels away from the mid-ocean -ridge it sinks slightly back down due to it's increased density and so lower buoyancy.
Ultimately this dense oceanic crust may meet a tectonic plate composed of continental crust which has a lower density and is more buoyant than the oceanic crust. Because of this the denser oceanic crust is forced down below the continental crust. This process is known as subduction. The force of gravity acting on the subducting slab is transferred into the rest of the slab acting to pull it towards the subduction zone. This process is known as "slab pull".
The movement of the Earth's crust is caused by the tectonic plates shifting and interacting with each other. These plates float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath them, which creates forces that push, pull, or slide the plates in different directions. This movement leads to earthquakes, volcanic activity, and the formation of mountains and oceanic trenches.
The continents move on the lithosphere, which is the outermost layer of the Earth. This layer consists of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. The movement of the continents is known as plate tectonics.
Convection in the Earth's crust is driven by heat from the Earth's molten core. This heat causes the mantle to convect, which in turn can move the Earth's tectonic plates. As the plates move, they can interact through processes such as subduction, causing earthquakes and volcanic activity.
The Earth's crust is in constant motion because of plate tectonics. The movement is driven by heat and convection currents in the Earth's mantle, which causes the rigid outer layer to break apart and move around. This movement leads to the formation of mountains, earthquakes, and volcanic activity.
The Earth's plates move due to convection currents in the underlying mantle. These currents create circulating flows that push and pull the plates. As a result, the plates move relative to each other at boundaries, such as divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries.
Temperature, pressure, and density increase as you move from the Earth's crust to the inner core.
the earth's crust is made up of 7 rigid,irregularly shaped plates(slabs). these are called lithospheric plates. these plates move because of the molten magma under the earth's crust which move in a circular motion that's why the earth's crust moves and earthquakes occurs
earthquakes happen when these sections of earths crust move
Convection currents of heat underneath the earth's crust in the mantle (magma) cause the tectonic plates of the earth's crust to move.
Convection currents of heat underneath the earth's crust in the mantle (magma) cause the tectonic plates of the earth's crust to move.
Convection currents of heat underneath the earth's crust in the mantle (magma) cause the tectonic plates of the earth's crust to move.
Because the convection currents involve the Earth's crust.
The earth's crust moves because the earth has tectonic plates that move because the magma under the earth's surface is constantly boiling. Since the water moves, it causes the earth's crust to move.
Lithosphere.
They are called fault lines.
Very gradually
A fault.
The vibration of the techtonic plates. :)