Is ridge push or slab pull stronger?
Slab Pull is related to the gravitational pull on the subducting plate. Slab Pull is by necessity stronger than Ridge Push, otherwise the MOR would be folded not stretched. These driving forces are resisted by a number of forces such as the drag (mechanical friction) of the asthenosphere along the subducting plate.
What is mantle convection and how does it differ from slab pull ridge push?
In simple terms, convection is the idea that dense, cold things sink, and buoyant, warm things rise. slab pull: the force due to the weight of the cold, dense sinking tectonic plate. ridge push: the force due to the buoyancy of the hot mantle rising to the surface beneath the ridge.
Why is slab pull stronger than ridge push?
Further developments of the theory suggested that some form of ridge push helped supplement convection in order to keep the plates moving, but in the 1990s, calculations indicated that slab pull, the force that a subducted section of plate exerts on the attached crust on the surface, was an order of magnitude stronger …
How are the forces of slab pull and ridge push related to plate motions?
How are the forces of slab-pull and ridge-push related to plate motions? In slab pull, gravity pulls cool, dense oceanic lithosphere down into the mantle. In ridge push, gravity causes stiff oceanic lithosphere to slide down the asthenosphere, which is elevated near mid-ocean ridges.
What is the stronger force behind plate movement?
Slab pull is that part of the motion of a tectonic plate caused by its subduction. In 1975 Forsyth and Uyeda used the inverse theory method to show that, of the many forces likely to be driving plate motion, slab pull was the strongest.
How does ridge push affect slab pull?
“ridge push” The lithosphere thickens with distance (and time) away from the midocean ridge. “slab pull” As lithospheric plates move away from midocean ridges they cool and become denser. They eventually become more dense than the underlying hot mantle.
What is slab-pull theory?
Slab pull is the pulling force exerted by a cold, dense oceanic plate plunging into the mantle due to its own weight. The theory is that because the oceanic plate is denser than the hotter mantle beneath it, this contrast in density causes the plate to sink into the mantle.
Why plates are move in slab-pull?
Slab pull is that part of the motion of a tectonic plate caused by its subduction. Plate motion is partly driven by the weight of cold, dense plates sinking into the mantle at oceanic trenches. This force and slab suction account for almost all of the force driving plate tectonics.
Why slab pull is important?
Slab pull is the force exerted by a dense oceanic plate sinking into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary. Slab pull is a key force acting on plate motion because it has been proven to greatly affect the velocity of a plate, not to mention create dramatic volcanoes.
Why plates are moving in slab pull?
What is slab pull force?
Why is slab pull considered the main driving mechanism of plate motion?
As the plate sinks into the mantle, it acts to pull the rest of the plate behind it. This force is considered by some to be the primary force driving plate motion at collisional zones ( Wilson , 1993). The slab pull force only works when the subducting slab is well attached to the plate it is pulling behind it.
How is a slab pull different from ridge push?
Ridge push is the name for the force due to the fact that the mid-ocen ridges are higher (more elevated) than the seafloor, which causes that the surrounding rocks are pulled down and away from the ridge pushing the plates. Slab pull refers to the fact than when a slab sinks it pulls on the rest of the plate.
How is slab different from ridge push?
Ridge push – magma rises as the plates move apart. The magma cools to form new plate material. As it cools It becomes denser and slides down away from the ridge. This causes other plates to move away from each other. Slab pull – The denser plate sinks back into the mantle under the influence of gravity. It pulls the rest of the plate along behind it.
What is slab pull describe?
Slab pull. Slab pull is that part of the motion of a tectonic plate that is caused by its subduction . Plate motion is partly driven by the weight of cold, dense plates sinking into the mantle at oceanic trenches. This force and slab suction account for almost all of the force driving plate tectonics.
What is a slab push?
*A slab push is a term given to tectonic plates that cause pressure from a down-dip motion. An example of this type of plate structure is where the Nazca plate and the South American plate meet near Peru .