Convection Currents-basically you can see a convection current when you boil water. The water at the bottom of the pain, nearest the heat source bubbles up and rises to the top, once it cools it is pulled back down to the bottom. Some scientists believe that the magma layer of the earth moves the plates along in the same fashion.

Plumes in the Mantle-a plume is a very hot narrow stream of hot material propelled from deep within the earth. Scientist aren't really sure if these plumes cause the spaces in between plates or whether the plumes cause the plates to move. It is one possible explanation though.

Plumes that reach the surface appear as volcanoes. Place where volcanoes happen a good deal are called hotspots. There are many of these hotspots in the Pacific Plate. The volcano islands of Hawaii were formed by huge mountains rising out of the ocean.

The Pacific Plate is moving northeast. As it moves the volcanoes move with it but the hotspots don't so the old volcanoes become inactive and new volcanoes form over the hotspots left in the southeast. Most hotspot are found in the ocean but there are hotspots on land. Once example is Yellowstone National Park. Many scientist believe that some time in the future the North American continent will split in this spot.