Year 9 geology plate tectonics question

Question

One study found that the Nazca plate is moving faster than the mantle beneath it.

Evaluate how this piece of evidence would help you decide why the plate is moving faster than the mantle. Use either convection currents, ridge pull or slab pull to explain why. Give reasons for your response.

Answer 1

The plate is being pulled faster because of slab pull. The weight of the part that has already sunk helps pull the rest of it down faster. It's like how a string of beads falls off a table faster and faster as more of the beads pull the rest down with it.