How many plates does the Earth’s crust have?

 

 

 

 

 

The relatively solid Earth’s crust – and a part of the layer that lies below it – is divided into seven large and more than ten smaller plates. These plates float over the hot, viscous layer, which is constantly in motion – like boiling soup. These flushes of heat in the Earth’s interior are known as ‘convection cells’. At places where the convection currents push the rocks upwards, the crust often breaks and gives rise to a new crust. For example, the mid-ocean ridges in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.