What force causes continents to move across the earth?
1 Answer
The theory of plate tectonics suggests that it is convection currents in the mantle of the earth that causes the movement of the continental plates.
Explanation:
not sure if you meant what force caused the movements of the continents.
When the first Continental Drift theory was proposed it was rejected by the scientific community.
One of the biggest reasons that the Continental Drift theory was opposed was the question of what force would be great enough to move the vast continents.
Actually no one knows what force moves the continents even today but that the continents do move is pretty much universally accepted.
The modern plate tectonic theory says that the mid ocean ridges are places where the convection heat currents in the mantle cause up wheeling of heat in the crust. The ocean can be observed splitting apart and moving in opposite directions at these mid ocean mountains. This is the kind of movement that is seen in convection currents.
The subduction zones where ocean plates can be observed diving beneath other ocean and continental plates are like the places where the convection currents move downward.
Though no one knows for sure there is good evidence supporting the idea of convection currents carrying heat from the earth's core are responsible for the force that cause the continents to move.
