How Do Tectonic Plates Move?

The movement of tectonic plates is driven by several mechanisms working together. Convection currents in the semi-fluid asthenosphere (upper mantle) create a slow circulation: hot rock rises from the deep mantle, spreads laterally beneath the lithosphere, cools, and sinks back down, dragging plates along. Slab pull occurs at subduction zones where a dense oceanic plate sinks into the mantle under gravity, pulling the rest of the plate behind it — considered the dominant force. Ridge push is the gravitational sliding of new lithosphere away from elevated mid-ocean ridges. Together, these forces move plates at rates of 1 to 15 cm per year, reshaping Earth surface over millions of years.