Compare radiation, conduction and convection in geothermal activity. Why is convection considered the primary driver of tectonic plate movement?

Solution & explanation

Conduction carries heat through largely stationary rock. Very slow convection transports hot material in the mantle. Radiation is the main loss from the surface to space, not the dominant transfer through the opaque mantle. Plate motion also involves slab pull and ridge push; mantle convection and plate motion form a coupled system rather than a single simple conveyor.