REVIEW: Lesson Summary

Lesson Summary

https://moodleshare.org/pluginfile.php/5790/mod_page/content/1/w15_lesson_summary_kla4067_revised.jpg
Mt. Fuji, a volcano that has been dormant for some time. Photo courtesy of
kla4067/Flickr. Licensed CC BY.


  • Tectonic plates float on top of the asenthosphere.
  • Inside the Earth radioactive material is decaying, which gives off residual heat. This heat is the source for convection currents.
  • Tectonic plates move as a result of convection currents in Earth's mantle.
  • Erupting magma forms new crust and pushes away old crust at divergent plate boundaries. This movement is associated with the upward part of the convection current.
  • Plates are subducted in ocean ridges at convergent plate boundaries. This movement is associated with the downward part of the convection current.
Last modified: Sunday, 2 May 2010, 11:22 PM