Question

What are Lithospheric plates? How do they move?

Answer 1

Instructions:

• Discuss what lithosphere is.
• Explain lithospheric plates.
• Reason behind the movement of lithospheric plates.

Solution:
The lithosphere comprises the Crust and Upper Mantle.

• A lithospheric plate is a massive, irregularly shaped solid rock, generally composed of continental and oceanic lithosphere.
• This layer of Lithosphere is NOT continuous.
• They are broken into 7 Major Plates. These are Pacific Plate, North American Plate, South American Plate, African Plate, Eurasian Plate, Indo-Australian Plate, and Antarctic Plate.
• Lithosphere is on the semi-molten later of the Asthenosphere. Here, the convection currents move upwards in a circular motion from the magma layer. When they move, the Lithospheric plates move.