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  • Slab Pull: Understanding Plate Tectonics & Subduction
    The process you're describing is called slab pull.

    Here's a breakdown:

    * Oceanic plates are denser than the continental plates.

    * Lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary: This is the boundary between the rigid, brittle lithosphere (which includes the crust and the uppermost mantle) and the hotter, more fluid asthenosphere (part of the upper mantle).

    * Slab pull: As oceanic plates subduct (slide) beneath other plates at convergent boundaries, their denser material sinks into the asthenosphere. This sinking is driven by gravity, creating a pulling force on the rest of the plate. This force is known as slab pull.

    Slab pull is a major driving force of plate tectonics, contributing significantly to the movement of tectonic plates across the Earth's surface.

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