Slab pull

Slab pull is that part of the motion of a tectonic plate that is caused by its subduction. Plate motion is partly driven by the weight of cold, dense plates sinking into the mantle at oceanic trenches. This force and slab suction account for almost all of the force driving plate tectonics. The ridge push at rifts contributes only 5 to 10%. Slab pull is that part of the motion of a tectonic plate that is caused by its subduction. Plate motion is partly driven by the weight of cold, dense plates sinking into the mantle at oceanic trenches. This force and slab suction account for almost all of the force driving plate tectonics. The ridge push at rifts contributes only 5 to 10%. Carlson et al. (1983) in Lallemandet al. (2005) defines the slab pull force as: