What is the formation of convection currents?
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.
What are convection currents in the mantle simple?
The two processes work in conjunction with each other. Convection currents in the air and sea lead to weather. Magma in the Earth's mantle moves in convection currents. The hot core heats the material above it, causing it to rise toward the crust, where it cools.
What are convection currents in plate tectonics?
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.
What are the 4 steps in convection currents that move the tectonic plates?
In addition, convection currents occurs because the very hot material at the deepest part of the mantle rises, then cools, sinking again and heating, rising and repeating the cycle over and over again. Thus, all the motion caused by these actions causes plate tectonics to move.
What happens during convection?
convection, process by which heat is transferred by movement of a heated fluid such as air or water. Natural convection results from the tendency of most fluids to expand when heated—i.e., to become less dense and to rise as a result of the increased buoyancy.
How are convection currents formed in magma?
Answer: Magma in the Earth's mantle moves in convection currents. The hot core heats the material above it, causing it to rise toward the crust, where it cools. The heat comes from the intense pressure on the rock, combined with the energy released from natural radioactive decay of elements.
How are the convectional currents in the mantle initiated and maintained?
Answer. Answer: The convectional currents in the mantle of the earth are initiated and maintained by temperature differences within the earth. Hot magma from greater depths comes up and comparatively cold lava from above goes down giving birth to convectional currents.