What drives the convection currents in the mantle?
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.
Where is the heat source in mantle convection?
The mantle is heated from below (the core), and in areas that are hotter it rises upwards (it is buoyant), whereas in areas that are cooler it sink down. This results in convection cells in the mantle, and produces horizontal motion of mantle material close to the Earth surface.
What is heat transfer and what causes convection currents in Earth’s mantle?
In astronomy convection currents occur in the mantle of the Earth, and presumably some other planets, and the convection zone of the sun. Inside of the Earth, magma is heated near the core, rises toward the crust, then cools and sinks back toward the core.
How is heat transferred in the earth’s mantle?
When the mantle convects, heat is transferred through the mantle by physically moving hot rocks. Mantle convection is the result of heat transfer from the core to the base of the lower mantle. Convection carries heat to the surface of the mantle much faster than heating by conduction.
How heat works in the mantle?
The lower mantle is heated directly by conduction from the core. In conduction, heat is transferred as atoms collide. In the process of conduction, heat flows from warmer objects to cooler objects. Hot lower mantle material rises upward (Figure below).
How does convection current specifically in the Earths mantle Work?
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.