Which plate motion model is most supported, the push-pull model or the convection current model?
Now a days, most geologists agree that ridge push and slab pull are significant factors in the movement on tectonic plates. That which is more in doubt is the nature of the mantel circulation itself. Does mantle convection occur within two separate layers or does it occur throughout the mantle as a whole. In the first scenario, the lithosphere and asthenosphere circulate as a single unit with subducting plates sinking no lower than the base of the asthenosphere (a depth of 660 km). The mesosphere (which comprise the rest of the mantle) then convects independent of these two upper layers. In the second scenario, the subducted plates may pause at that depth but eventually sink all the way down to the core-mantle boundary. In this model, the convection occurs mantle wide. When you say convection current model in your question, I assume that you are talking about the model of convection in which the movement of lithospheric plates is directly controlled by the convection in the mantle. Thi
