Plate tectonics
The Theory of Plate tectonics tells us that the continents are drifting on convection currents within the mantle causing them to move across the surface of the planet at the slow speed of approximately per year. However, the velocities of plates range widely. The fastest-moving plates are the oceanic plates, with the Cocos Plate advancing at a rate of per year and the Pacific Plate moving per year. At the other extreme, the slowest-moving plate is the Eurasian Plate, progressing at a typical rate of about per year.