Editing Plate tectonics (section)

==== Surge tectonics ====
Another theory is that the mantle flows neither in cells nor large plumes but rather as a series of channels just below Earth's crust, which then provide basal friction to the lithosphere. This theory, called "surge tectonics", was popularized during the 1980s and 1990s.{{sfn|Meyerhoff|Taner|Morris|Agocs|1996}} Recent research, based on three-dimensional computer modelling, suggests that plate geometry is governed by a feedback between mantle convection patterns and the strength of the lithosphere.{{sfn|Mallard|Coltice|Seton|Müller|2016}}