If the continents are slowly moving apart from each other, is the Earth getting bigger?

Question

Or does the crushing together at the other end of the tectonic plate balance out the extra space gained as continents pull away from each other?

Answer 1

Although the planet does become slightly distored from time to time, as do most large planetary bodies when affected by the various forces acting upon them (a topic best saved for your science class), it is comparable to pudding which is allowed to form a "skin" on top of it (my favorite part of chocolate pudding!). Think of the cup, bowl, or pot as the Earth, and the "skin" is the surface of the earth.  Now imagine inserting a utensil just beneath the surface of the skin, and pulling the skin to one side.  Except for what you touched, did the rest of the pudding below the skin move? No. Did the cup, bowl, or pot move in any way, shape, or form? No. It is the same with the actual planet. Just don't stick your utensil in the ground and expect to find any pudding!  ;)

Answer 2

the continents are not all moving apart...some a getting closer together, because some of the plates meet at converging points (coming together), and others (as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) are diverging points (moving apart)

the plates are just "floating around" on the surface of the magma, moving.

so no, the earth is not getting bigger. except through the accumulation of space dust and space particles and space materials such as meteors.

Answer 3

The "surface area" of the Earth is always the same, the amount of new material created at constructive boundaries (Like the one straight down the Atlantic) is balanced out by other plate boundaries that are destructive, where a plate's material is subducted (Sinks under the other and destroyed).

Answer 4

Not all the continents are moving apart from each other.  Some are moving towards each other.  It's a constant flow of juggernaut traffic that has no connection with any change in size of the Earth.

<<Or does the crushing together at the other end of the tectonic plate balance out the extra space gained as continents pull away from each other?>>

That's more the idea.  That crashing and crushing results in fold mountains.  The Himalayas show where India hit into Asia, the Urals mark the last crash between Europe and Asia, and so on.

Answer 5

earth is not getting bigger; the plates actually slip underneath each other and then melt in the hot mantle.

Answer 6

you have the wrong idea. example; as north and south America move away from Europe and Africa it s getting closer to Asia so that the continents are just moving around on the earth but  the earth does not change size.

Answer 7

Here some Basics:

There are generally 4 types of tectonic plate movement

--->Constructive plate boundaries e.g.  (Mid-Atlantic Ridge)(As you mentioned above)(Plates moving apart)

-New crust is created

--->Destructive plate boundaries e.g. (Nazca plate subducting beneath the South American Plate)

-Crust is destroyed (remolten)

--->Conservative plate boundaries e.g.  (San Andreas Fault)(plates move past eachother)

-Crust is neither created nor destroyed

--->Collision zones e.g.  (Eurasian Plate hitting Indian Plate)(Himalayas)

-Two continental plates hit eachother and as continental plates can't subduct [Only Oceanic Plates Subduct] both plates create a mountain formation.