Tectonic plates float on the semi-solid mantle, which moves very slowly as a result of convection currents driven by heat energy from the hot core. The outer core is liquid iron and nickel and ...

According to a study published in Scientific Reports, anomalies deep within the Earth's mantle appear to be remnants of submerged tectonic plates—but located far from where such plates are ...

Long-lost remnants of tectonic plates have been discovered sunken deep inside the Earth's mantle. These plate remains were found lurking underneath the center of other continental plates ...

Schematic representation of the process of subduction of tectonic plates and of a mantle plume rising from an LLSVP. Schematic representation of the process of subduction of tectonic plates and of ...

This method has helped scientists identify ancient sections of the planet's crust, known as subducted slabs, that have been pulled into the mantle through subduction zones where tectonic plates meet.

Among the enigmatic mantle lumps are two enormous “supercontinents” buried thousands of kilometers below the crust amid the remains of ancient tectonic plates. One supercontinent lies under ...

According to this theory, the lithosphere (the Earth's rigid outer layer) is divided into several tectonic plates that float and move slowly on the viscous mantle. These movements are responsible for ...

Plate tectonics is a theory that explains how Earth’s lithosphere—its upper mantle and crust—is split into sections called plates, which move. These movements create mountains, volcanoes and ...

Plate tectonics give rise to Earth's mountain ranges, earthquakes and the long-term movement of continents, and may even have provided the right conditions for life on Earth. But as far as we know ...