The mechanism by which tectonic plates move is still a subject of much debate among Earth scientists. The Earth is dynamic thanks to its internal heat, which comes from deep within the mantle from the breakdown of radioactive isotopes. It was long thought that this resulted in convection currents in the mantle which were responsible for the movement of tectonic plates across the Earth’s surface – indeed this is still the most common idea illustrated in many textbooks and on the internet. However, this theory is now largely out of favour, with modern imaging techniques unable to identify mantle convection cells that are sufficiently large to drive plate movement. Some plate models show that two thirds of the Earth’s surface move faster than the underlying mantle so there appears to be little or no evidence that convection currents in the mantle move plates (apart maybe from some very small plates in unusual circumstances).

Indeed, it is now accepted that plates and the mantle are a coupled system with plates moving by a process known as 'slab pull' which helps to drive mantle convection patterns rather than the other way around. Newly formed oceanic lithosphere at mid ocean ridges is less dense than the asthenosphere, but becomes denser with age as it cools and thickens. This causes it to sink into the mantle at subduction zones, pulling slabs of lithosphere apart at divergent boundaries and resulting in sea floor spreading or rifting.

Where slab pull is not the main plate driver, ‘ridge push’ is another possibility. As the lithosphere formed at divergent plate margins is hot, and less dense that the surrounding area it rises to form oceanic ridges. The newly-formed plates slide sideways off these high areas, pushing the plate in front of them resulting in a ridge-push mechanism.

How plate movement operates is being revised all the time as scientists unearth new evidence, however, the detail still remains highly controversial.