These plates move due to convection currents in the mantle. Heat from the core makes magma in the mantle rise towards the crust. As the hot current nears the crust, it begins to cool and sink back towards the core. As the magma sinks, it drags the plates across the surface of the Earth. Convection in the Earth's outer core is driven by buoyancy sources of both thermal and compositional origin. The thermal and compositional molecular diffusivities differ by several orders of magnitude, which can affect the dynamics in various ways.

The Earth's outer core is in a state of turbulent convection as the result of radioactive heating and chemical differentiation. This sets up a process that is a bit like a naturally occurring electrical generator, where the convective kinetic energy is converted to electrical and magnetic energy. Convection currents drive the movement of Earth's rigid tectonic plates in the planet's fluid molten mantle. In places where convection currents rise up towards the crust's surface, tectonic plates move away from each other in a process known as seafloor spreading. These plates move due to convection currents in the mantle. Heat from the core makes magma in the mantle rise towards the crust. As the hot current nears the crust, it begins to cool and sink back towards the core. As the magma sinks, it drags the plates across the surface of the Earth. Convection currents are identified in Earth's mantle. Heated mantle material is shown rising from deep inside the mantle, while cooler mantle material sinks, creating a convection current. It is thought that this type of current is responsible for the movements of the plates of Earth's crust. onvection works by areas of a liquid or gas heating or cooling greater than their surroundings, causing differences in temperature. These temperature differences then cause the areas to move as the hotter, less dense areas rise, and the cooler, denser areas sink. When the mantle convects, heat is transferred through the mantle by physically moving hot rocks. Mantle convection is the result of heat transfer from the core to the base of the lower mantle. Convection currents are the result of differential heating. Lighter (less dense), warm material rises while heavier (more dense) cool material sinks. It is this movement that creates circulation patterns known as convection currents in the atmosphere, in water, and in the mantle of Earth.

Heat rising and falling inside the mantle creates convection currents generated by radioactive decay in the Earth's core. The convection currents move the plates that make up the crust along the Earth's surface. Exactly how this works is still a matter of debate. When the mantle convects, heat is transferred through the mantle by physically moving hot rocks. Mantle convection is the result of heat transfer from the core to the base of the lower mantle. Convection currents in the outer core are due to heat from the even hotter inner core. The heat that keeps the outer core from solidifying is produced by the breakdown of radioactive elements in the inner core. Convection currents drive the movement of Earth's rigid tectonic plates in the planet's fluid molten mantle. In places where convection currents rise up towards the crust's surface, tectonic plates move away from each other in a process known as seafloor spreading. In the classical model of convection and dynamo action in Earth's outer core, convection is thought to be driven by a combination of cooling from the core–mantle boundary (CMB) and light elements (O, Si, S, …) and latent heat release at the inner core boundary. The Earth's outer core is in a state of turbulent convection as the result of radioactive heating and chemical differentiation. This sets up a process that is a bit like a naturally occurring electrical generator, where the convective kinetic energy is converted to electrical and magnetic energy. Magma in the Earth's mantle moves in convection currents. The hot core heats the material above it, causing it to rise toward the crust, where it cools. The heat comes from the intense pressure on the rock, combined with the energy released from natural radioactive decay of elements. Convection currents generated within the asthenosphere push magma upward through volcanic vents and spreading centers to create new crust. Convection currents also stress the lithosphere above, and the cracking that often results manifests as earthquakes.