The movement of lithospheric plates can be classified as slow but consistent. Typically, these tectonic plates drift at an average rate of a few centimeters per year, akin to the speed at which human fingernails grow. This might seem quite slow when compared to more immediate geological phenomena like earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. However, over millions of years, these gradual shifts lead to significant changes in the Earth’s surface, such as the formation of mountains, ocean trenches, and continental drift.
Each plate’s movement is driven by the heat from the Earth’s interior, which creates convection currents in the underlying semi-fluid asthenosphere. As these plates interact at their boundaries—whether they are colliding, pulling apart, or sliding past each other—they can cause various geological events, but the actual movement itself remains a slow process. Understanding the pace of this movement is crucial for geologists as it helps explain many of the Earth’s features and the dynamics of its lithosphere.