Where does the energy that drives earths rock cycle come from?
The recycling machine is powered by heat which originates from the interior of the Earth. The source of the heat is partly residual, from the accretion of material early in the Earth’s history, and from the radioactive decay of elements. The convection of the heat as it travels toward the surface causes the creation of new rock at divergent tectonic plate margins and destruction of rock at subduction zones where plates collide. Additional power is supplied to the machine via the sun, which provides the planet with weathering mechanisms which erode existing rock into smaller particles.
