Tectonic Plates

Question 1

Where do tectonic plates float on?

Answer 1

Tectonic plates float on the liquid mantle underneath Earth’s crust.

Question 2

What do some tectonic plates have?

Answer 2

Some tectonic plates have mostly ocean and mostly land.

Question 3

What do other tectonic plates have?

Answer 3

Other tectonic plates have both ocean and land on them.

Question 4

What are the edges called?

Answer 4

The edges are called plate margins or plate boundaries.

Question 5

Do tectonic plates move very fast or very slowly along the edges?

Answer 5

Tectonic plates move very slowly along the edges.

Question 6

How fast do tectonic plates move per year?

Answer 6

They move at about 3 cm per year, and that is geologically very fast.

Question 7

What do scientists think cause circular movements/convection currents?

Answer 7

Scientists think that heat from earth’s core causes circular movements/convection currents.

Question 8

What slowly moves the plates that float on top of the mantle?

Answer 8

Scientists believe that the convection currents move the tectonic plates.

Question 9

How many tectonic plates are there, and what are their names?

Answer 9

There are 7 tectonic plates and there names are African, Eurasian, Indo-Australian, Antartic, South American, North American, and Pacific.

Question 10

What is the process of tectonic plates and how they move?

Answer 10

1. Heat from earth’s core creates convection currents in the mantle.
2. Close to earth’s surface, the liquid mantle cools down.
3. The cooler mantle begins to sink back into the lower parts of the mantle.
4. The circular movement in the mantle is a kind of current that moves the plates that float on top of the mantle.