Convection And The Mantle Flashcards
There are 3 types of heat transfer
Radiation
Conduction
Convection
RADIATION
THE TRANSFER OF ENERGY THROUGH EMPTY SPACE: has no direct. Contact between heat source and an object. Ex. Sunlight warming earth’s surface
CONDUCTION
HEAT TRANSFER BY DIRECT CONTACT OF PARTICLES OF MATTER! Ex. Metal spoon heating up in a pot of soup
CONVECTION
TRANSFER OF HEAT BY THE MOVEMENT OF A HEATED FLUID! Is caused by differences in temperature and density within a fluid
What is Density?
It is the measure of how much mass there is in a volume of a substance. Ex. Heating water on a stove… Hot water rises!
Convection current -
The flow that transfers heat
Convection current have been acting like a conveyer belt…
Moving the lithosphere up for the past 6,000 years. Heat source is the earths core and mantle itself.
Question; what causes convection currents in earth’s mantle?
Answer; ex. Heating water on a stove. As water on the bottom gets hot, it expands and becomes less dense, and rises; when the surface water starts warming up, it becomes denser and moves to the bottom causing a convection current.
4 steps of the convection current of earths mantle:
A. Density of mantle material is less than material above it,so the materials begin to rise
B. Rising material hits rigid lithosphere and cannot go up any further
C. The force of gravity is causing denser material to fall
D. Core hear causes temperature to rise, therefore decreasing the density of material
Cause, effect, and result of of convection currents; convection of the mantle.
CAUSE: convection currents are caused by earths internal thermal energy causing mantle to heat, expand, and rise. As it sets closer to the crust it cools, becoming denser and sinking, forming a current
EFFECT: the convection current acts as a “conveyer belt” moving the plates of the lithosphere above
RESULT: the results of the plates moving are earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and building of mountains
