GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -In plate tectonics, Earth’s outermost layer, or lithosphere-made up of the crust and upper mantle-is broken into large rocky plates. These plates lie on top of a partially molten layer of rock called the asthenosphere.

Detailed explanation-2: -The asthenosphere is the denser, weaker layer beneath the lithospheric mantle. It lies between about 100 kilometers (62 miles) and 410 kilometers (255 miles) beneath Earth’s surface. The temperature and pressure of the asthenosphere are so high that rocks soften and partly melt, becoming semi-molten.

Detailed explanation-3: -The lithosphere is above the asthenosphere and actually contains the crust and a small part of the asthenosphere as well. The lithosphere is rigid and the tectonic plates are located there.

Detailed explanation-4: -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-5: -Convection cells occur in the asthenosphere But in our rigid lithosphere (crust), it’s solid and particles cannot freely move. So, the lithosphere just floats on top of the asthenosphere. Mantle convection is the mechanism that tears the lithosphere apart.