The earths surface consists of several jagged slabs of rocks that move at a rate 1-20 centimeters a year. Why do tectonic plates move. how do tectonic plates move?
Plates at our planet's surface move because of the intense heat in the Earth's core that causes molten rock in the mantle layer to move. It moves in a pattern called a convection cell that forms when warm material rises, cools, and eventually sink down. As the cooled material sinks down, it is warmed and rises again.
