Which of the following is Not used by scientists as basis for dividing lithosphere into several plates?
Answers
Answer:
The lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates based on research and measurement of the movements of those plates. If a large section of the lithosphere is all moving in the same direction and at the same speed then it is thought to be a techtonic plate. Different sections of the lithosphere move in different directions and at different speeds. The sections thus divide themselves up for us.
It may be there are more tectonic plates than we realize as if two plates that are next to each other were moving together at the same speed and direction we would not know they were seperate plates.
The movement of the known tectonic plates is divided into plates that are moving towards each other, plates that are moving away from each other, and plates that are moving in opposite directions while not coming together or moving apart.
Plates that are moving towards each other can do several different things. The plates can meet and push upwards, causing mountain ranges, one of the plates can slide under the other plate, and lastly the two plates can both plunge deeper into the mantle.
I would suggest reading more about plate tectonics as my explanation is rather short and contains no history of how plate movement was discovered and measured.