1. Convection Currents in the Mantle: This is the primary driving force. The Earth's mantle is a layer of hot, semi-solid rock that constantly moves in convection currents. Heat from the Earth's core causes the mantle material to rise, cool, and sink back down in a circular pattern. These currents drag the lithospheric plates along with them.
2. Slab Pull: When denser oceanic plates collide with continental plates, the denser oceanic plate subducts (slides) beneath the continental plate. The weight of the descending plate pulls the rest of the plate along, creating a "slab pull" force.
These two processes work together to move the Earth's lithospheric plates, creating the continents, mountains, and other geological features we see today.
