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Geologists have hypothesized that the movement of tectonic plates is related to convection currents in the earth’s mantle. Convection currents describe the rising, spread, and sinking of gas, liquid, or molten material caused by the application of heat.
How does convection in Earth’s?
The main heat transfer mechanism in the Earth’s mantle is convection, a thermally driven process where heating at depth causes material to expand and become less dense, causing it to rise while being replaced by complimentary cool material that sinks.
Where do convection currents occur in the Earth?
Convection currents are identified in Earth’s mantle. Heated mantle material is shown rising from deep inside the mantle, while cooler mantle material sinks, creating a convection current. It is thought that this type of current is responsible for the movements of the plates of Earth’s crust.
What causes convection currents in Earth’s mantle?
Heat from the core and the mantle itself causes convection currents in the mantle. Hot columns of mantle material rise slowly. At the top of the asthenosphere, the hot material spreads out and pushes the cooler material out of the way. This cooler material sinks back into the mantle.
How do convection currents work?
Convection currents form because a heated fluid expands, becoming less dense. The less-dense heated fluid rises away from the heat source. As it rises, it pulls cooler fluid down to replace it. This fluid in turn is heated, rises and pulls down more cool fluid.
When convection currents flow in the mantle They also move the?
When the convection currents flow in the mantle they also move the crust. The crust gets a free ride with these currents. A conveyor belt in a factory moves boxes like the convection currents in the mantle moves the plates of the Earth.
How can you describe convection current?
Convection currents are flowing fluid that is moving because there is a temperature or density difference within the material. Because particles within a solid are fixed in place, convection currents are seen only in gases and liquids.
What is an example of convection in Earth’s system?
mantle convection – The rocky mantle of the Earth moves slowly because of the convection currents that transfer heat from the interior of the Earth up to the surface. This is the reason the tectonic plates move gradually around the Earth.
What causes convection currents in Earth’s mantle quizlet?
Heating and cooling of the fluid, changes in the fluid density, and the force of gravity, combine to set convection currents in motion. Heat from the core and the mantle itself cause convection currents in the mantle.
What is convection science?
Convection is the transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid (liquid or gas) between areas of different temperature.
What is a fact about convection?
Facts about convection:
Convection occurs in the atmosphere. The air is considered as the fluid, while the sun is considered as the heat source. Magma is considered as the fluid, while the core of the earth is called as the heat source. Convection is important since it can affect the weather.
How convection in the Earth’s interior and conduction?
Convection carries heat to the surface of the mantle much faster than heating by conduction. Conduction is heat transfer by collisions between molecules, and is how heat is transferred from the stove to the soup pot.
How do convection currents in the mantle move tectonic plates?
Plate Tectonics Explained | Plate Boundaries | Convection Currents
How does the convection currents within the asthenosphere of the Earth move?
Heat from deep within Earth is thought to keep the asthenosphere malleable, lubricating the undersides of Earth’s tectonic plates and allowing them to move. Convection currents generated within the asthenosphere push magma upward through volcanic vents and spreading centres to create new crust.
Who proposed the mantle convection theory?
This theory was proposed by German meteorologist and geologist Alfred Wegener in 1912 and states that the position of the continents on the Earth’s surface has changed considerably over time.