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ridge push – newly-formed plates at oceanic ridges are warm, and so have a higher elevation at the oceanic ridge than the colder, more dense plate material further away; gravity causes the higher plate at the ridge to push away the lithosphere that lies further from the ridge;
Rising mantle material at mid-ocean ridges creates the potential for plates to move away from the ridge with a force called ridge push. Ridge push moves the lithosphere in opposite directions
Stress that the understanding of what drives of tectonic plate moment is still developing; using demonstrations to reinforce the current understanding of slab pull and ridge push are helpful. Avoid any demos that reinforce ideas the mantle is liquid.
In this model, plates move through a combination of pull from the weight of the subducting edge of the plates, and through the outward pushing of an ocean ridge where magma is rising and forming new crust (Figure 4.3.2).
Ridge push: Hot buoyant mantle lifts and pushes the plates apart at mid-ocean ridges where magma solidifies to form new oceanic lithosphere. Gravity pulls the oceanic plates downhill from the ridges towards the deep ocean trenches (or downhill from uplifted continental rift zones like the East African Rift).
Ridge push is caused by the potential energy gradient from the high topography of the ridges. Slab pull is caused by the negative buoyancy of the subducting plate.
Ridge-Push Force. Let's cover a final force a subducting plate would experience, the ridge-push force. This force results from the elevation of oceanic ridges above the seafloor. This difference in height leads to pressure that 'pushes' the plate away from the ridge.
