Deep magma facilitates the movement of tectonic plates

Three-dimensional visualisation of partial melting at the base of tectonic plate
Three-dimensional visualisation of partial melting at the base of tectonic plates. The orange iso-surfaces show the regions where, at a depth of between 100 and 300 km, the quantity of molten rock is greater than 0.2%. The white sphere in the centre of the globe represents the Earth’s core. © Stéphanie Durand, Laboratoire de géologie de Lyon: Terre, planètes et environnement (CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1).
Three-dimensional visualisation of partial melting at the base of tectonic plates. The orange iso-surfaces show the regions where, at a depth of between 100 and 300 km, the quantity of molten rock is greater than 0. The white sphere in the centre of the globe represents the Earth's core. Stéphanie Durand, Laboratoire de géologie de Lyon: Terre, planètes et environnement (CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1) . A small amount of molten rock located under tectonic plates encourages them to move. This is what scientists from the Laboratoire de géologie de Lyon: Terre, planètes et environnement (CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1) have recently discovered. Their new model takes into account not only the velocity of seismic waves but also the way in which they are attenuated by the medium they pass through.
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