the part of the earth on which the tectonic plates are able to move is the lithosphere.
the part of the earth on which the tectonic plates are able to move is the?
lithosphere
section::::physical characteristics.:tectonic plates.





























earth's mechanically rigid outer layer, the lithosphere, is divided into tectonic plates. these plates are rigid segments that move relative to each other at one of three boundaries types: at convergent boundaries, two plates come together; at divergent boundaries, two plates are pulled apart; and at transform boundaries, two plates slide past one another laterally. along these plate boundaries, earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation can occur. the tectonic plates ride on top of the asthenosphere, the solid but less-viscous part of the upper mantle that can flow and move along with the plates.
earth
earth's volcanoes occur because its crust is broken into 17 major, rigid tectonic plates that float on a hotter, softer layer in its mantle. therefore, on earth, volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging, and most are found underwater. for example, a mid-oceanic ridge, such as the mid-atlantic ridge, has volcanoes caused by divergent tectonic plates whereas the pacific ring of fire has volcanoes caused by convergent tectonic plates. volcanoes can also form where there is stretching and thinning of the crust's plates, e.g., in the east african rift and the wells gray-clearwater volcanic field and rio grande rift in north america. this type of volcanism falls under the umbrella of "plate hypothesis" volcanism. volcanism away from plate boundaries has also been explained as mantle plumes. these so-called "hotspots", for example hawaii, are postulated to arise from upwelling diapirs with magma from the core–mantle boundary, 3,000 km deep in the earth. volcanoes are usually not created where two tectonic plates slide past one another.
volcano