Convection currents occur when magma heats up near the core and rises. As it rises it cools down and spreads out, moving the plates. It cools down and spreads out, moving the plates. It then cools down and moves back towards the center of the earth where it heats up again!
What are convection currents and what causes them?
What is Convection?
- Convection is the process of heat transfer in fluids by the actual motion of matter.
- It happens in liquids and gases.
- It may be natural or forced.
- It involves a bulk transfer of portions of the fluid.
What happens in a convection current?
What are the 3 largest tornadoes?
- Tri-State (MO/IL/IN) – 3/18/1925; 695 dead.
- Natchez, MS – 5/6/1840; 317 dead.
- St.
- Tupelo, MS – 4/5/1936; 216 dead.
- Gainesville, GA – 4/6/1936; 203 dead.
- Woodward, OK – 4/9/1947; 181 dead.
- Joplin, MO – 5/22/2011; 158 dead.
- Amite, LA/Purvis, MS – 4/24/1908; 143 dead.
What are some examples of convection current?
Examples of Convection Currents and Energy Scale
- You can observe convection currents in water boiling in a pot. ...
- A simple example of convection currents is warm air rising toward the ceiling or attic of a house. ...
- Wind is an example of a convection current. ...
- Combustion generates convection currents. ...
How do convection currents move in the mantle?
how do convection currents work in the mantle
- Convection in the Mantle
- convection currents Planet Earth
- Mechanism of Plate Tectonics: Mantle Convection Theory, Slab Pull Theory
- Plates moving due to convection in mantle | Cosmology & Astronomy | Khan Academy

What are convection currents?
Convection currents are the result of differential heating. Lighter (less dense), warm material rises while heavier (more dense) cool material sinks. It is this movement that creates circulation patterns known as convection currents in the atmosphere, in water, and in the mantle of Earth.
What is a convection quizlet?
What is convection? a type of heat transfer due to particles moving within a liquid or a gas.
How do convection currents work quizlet?
Convection currents occur when magma heats up near the core and rises. As it rises it cools down and spreads out, moving the plates. It cools down and spreads out, moving the plates. It then cools down and moves back towards the center of the earth where it heats up again!
What are convection currents and what causes them quizlet?
A convection current is the flow that transfers heat with in a fluid. 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.
Which of these best describes convection currents?
The best description of a convection current is that e. it is the process in which warm material expands and rises while cool material contracts and... See full answer below.
Which is an example of convection currents quizlet?
Example - Metal spoon heats up in a hot pot of soup. The transfer of heat by the movement of a heated fluid is called convection.
Where do convection currents occur?
Convection currents occur within: the geosphere – plate tectonics. the atmosphere - wind. the hydrosphere - ocean currents.
What role do convection currents play in plate tectonics quizlet?
What is the role of convection currents in plate tectonics? The Earth's interior contains lots of heat energy. The energy moves from warmer region to cooler regions (because the cooler regions are more dense than the warmer regions so they fall to the bottom). Heat is transferred by convection which the plates to move.
Which is an example of convection?
Everyday Examples of Convection boiling water - When water boils, the heat passes from the burner into the pot, heating the water at the bottom. This hot water rises and cooler water moves down to replace it, causing a circular motion.
What are convection currents in the mantle?
Convection currents are the movement of fluid as a result of differential heating or convection. In the case of the Earth, convection currents refer to the motion of molten rock in the mantle as radioactive decay heats up magma, causing it to rise and driving the global-scale flow of magma.
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 transfer energy?
Convection is the transfer of thermal energy by particles moving through a fluid. Thermal energy is always transferred from an area with a higher temperature to an area with a lower temperature. Moving particles transfer thermal energy through a fluid by forming convection currents.
What are the characteristics of deep currents?
Give two characteristics and one example of each type of current. Surface currents occur at the surface of the ocean and are caused by global winds; the Gulf Stream is an example. Deep currents occur deep in the ocean and are influenced by water density, salinity, and temperature.
Why are equatorial currents faster?
One reason equatorial currents are faster is that they are warmer . Another reason is that the speed of the Earth's rotation is much faster at the equator. (A point near the poles and a point at the equator both rotate in 24 hours, but the point at the equator has traveled a much greater distance in that time.)
Do rivers have surface currents?
no. Compare rivers and surface currents. Both rivers and surface currents are long, moving bodies of water. However, rivers flow because of the pull of gravity, while surface currents are driven by the wind and by the rotation of the Earth.
