Question

How are convection currents related to plate tectonics?

Answer 1

Hint: Plate tectonics is concerned with the motion and movements of the 7 major and several minor plates. These lithospheric plates float above the molten mantle and it is the mantle where convection currents take place.

Complete answer:
The mantle is hot, consisting of molten metals in the form of lava. Due to the very high temperature at the deepest parts and its relative coolness towards the crust, the material from deep beneath travels upward and the relatively cooler material up above sinks down. This is a cyclic process, causing mantle convection currents to happen.
Tectonic plates, which are age old plates on which continents and oceans have existed, float on the mantle. When the convection currents happening in the mantle encounter the surface below the tectonic plates, it often creates a tension, or exerts a force, causing the plates to move.
This is how, convection currents of the mantle affect plate tectonics.

Note: For better understanding, consider the phenomenon of ‘sea floor spreading’. Here, the convection currents force the hot lava to rise up, which then displaces the cooler material at the surface to move away from its place, causing the sea plates to drift away from each other.