Search results
Definition. Ridge push is a geological process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where the elevation of the ridge causes tectonic plates to move away from each other. This force is generated as hot magma rises to create new oceanic crust, leading to a slope that encourages the movement of plates downward and outward.
Ridge push force and slab pull are two key forces that drive tectonic plate movements. Ridge push occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where newly formed, elevated oceanic crust slides down due to gravity, while slab pull takes place at subduction zones where denser oceanic plates sink into the mantle.
Ridge push (also known as gravitational slides or sliding plate force) is a proposed driving force for plate motion in plate tectonics that occurs at mid-ocean ridges as the result of the rigid lithosphere sliding down the hot, raised asthenosphere below mid-ocean ridges.
Ridge push occurs due to gravitational forces acting on elevated mid-ocean ridges that push plates apart, while slab pull happens when a denser, subducting plate sinks into the mantle, pulling the rest of the plate along with it.
Ridge push (also known as gravitational slides or sliding plate force) is a proposed driving force for plate motion in plate tectonics that occurs at mid-ocean ridges as the result of the rigid lithosphere sliding down the hot, raised asthenosphere below mid-ocean ridges.
Ridge-push forces cause two plates to pull apart on the surface. Slab-pull forces pull the plates down. This movement of out and down is also encouraged by convection traction, or clockwise and counterclockwise currents that are present beneath the plates.
ridge push: the force due to the buoyancy of the hot mantle rising to the surface beneath the ridge. viscous drag: the force opposing motion of the plate and slab past the viscous mantle underneath or on the side. This force balance is given by: \[F_{ridge-push}+F_{slab-pull}-F_{viscous-drag}=0\]
