GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Magma is the molten rock below the crust, in the mantle. Tremendous heat and pressure within the earth cause the hot magma to flow in convection currents. These currents cause the movement of the tectonic plates that make up the earth’s crust.

Detailed explanation-2: -The heat from radioactive processes within the planet’s interior causes the plates to move, sometimes toward and sometimes away from each other. This movement is called plate motion, or tectonic shift.

Detailed explanation-3: -From mud and clay to diamonds and coal, Earth’s crust is composed of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. The most abundant rocks in the crust are igneous, which are formed by the cooling of magma. Earth’s crust is rich in igneous rocks such as granite and basalt.

Detailed explanation-4: -The movement of the plates creates three types of tectonic boundaries: convergent, where plates move into one another; divergent, where plates move apart; and transform, where plates move sideways in relation to each other. They move at a rate of one to two inches (three to five centimeters) per year.

Detailed explanation-5: -Hot magma rises from the mantle at mid-ocean ridges, pushing the plates apart. Earthquakes occur along the fractures that appear as the plates move apart.