EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -They drift because they are sitting on a layer of solid rock (the upper mantle or “asthenosphere") that is weak and ductile enough that it can flow very slowly under heat convection, somewhat like a liquid.

Detailed explanation-2: -The reason tectonic plates float on top of the mantle has to do with density. Even though the mantle is made of melted, flowing rock, the material is still much denser than any tectonic plate.

Detailed explanation-3: -Lithospheric plates float on the uppermost part of the mantle called the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere is made up of solid rocks that become ductile and that float linearly, causing convection currents to set up inside the crust due to inner high pressure and temperature conditions.

Detailed explanation-4: -Earth’s thin outer shell is broken into big pieces called tectonic plates. These plates fit together like a puzzle, but they’re not stuck in one place. They are floating on Earth’s mantle, a really thick layer of hot flowing rock.

Detailed explanation-5: -The plates “float” on the soft, plastic mantle which is located below the crust. These plates usually move along smoothly but sometimes they stick and build up pressure.