What geological process describes the movement of tectonic plates?

The geological process that describes the movement of tectonic plates is plate tectonics. This theory explains how the Earth's lithosphere is divided into several large and small tectonic plates that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath them. The interactions between these plates lead to various geological phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and ocean trench formation.

Plate tectonics is a broad concept encompassing all aspects of tectonic plate behavior, including their movement and the forces driving that movement. This includes mechanisms such as thermal convection currents in the mantle, which facilitate the drifting of the plates over geological time scales. The movement can occur in several ways, including divergence (plates moving apart), convergence (plates colliding), and transform boundaries (plates sliding past each other).

The other processes listed, while significant in their own right, do not specifically describe the movement of tectonic plates. Subduction refers to a specific type of plate boundary interaction where one plate moves under another and sinks into the mantle, but it is only a part of the overall plate tectonics process. Weathering involves the breaking down of rocks and minerals but does not involve the movement of tectonic plates. Oxidation is a chemical process affecting minerals and rocks but also does not relate directly