how do convection currents affect tectonic plates

How does convection affect Earth’s oceans?

Thermal energy also moves within the ocean and within the atmosphere through the process of convection. During convection, cooler water or air sinks, and warmer water or air rises. This movement causes currents. … These currents move water all around the earth, bringing warm water to cooler areas and vice versa.

What statement explains the relationship between convection currents and plate movements?

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.

How does convection affects the formation of mountains?

As tectonic plates slowly move away from each other, heat from the mantle’s convection currents makes the crust more plastic and less dense. The less-dense material rises, often forming a mountain or elevated area of the seafloor.

How do convection currents within the mantle lead to divergent plate movement?

Explanation: Convection currents in the magma drive plate tectonics. … Large convection currents in the aesthenosphere transfer heat to the surface, where plumes of less dense magma break apart the plates at the spreading centers, creating divergent plate boundaries.

How does convection in Earth’s mantle affects the formation of landmass like volcano and mountain?

When warm material in the mantle rises up to the surface (ground), it. will cool and sinks, these cooled materials will eventually be turned into. landmass.

Why is convection current important?

Convections currents in the earth’s mantle are thought to be the driving force of plate tectonics. Where the hot magma is brought near the surface by the convection currents a divergent boundary is created. The divergent boundaries form new oceans and widen existing oceans.

How does convection affect the Earth’s temperature?

Convection is a vital process which helps to redistribute energy away from hotter areas to cooler areas of the Earth, aiding temperature circulation and reducing sharp temperature differences.

What is the convection current and why it exists?

Convention Currents

In Convection, it happens because of the heat transfer due to the bulk movement of molecules within fluids. In this article, we will talk more about convection currents. Convection is such a process of heat transfer that takes place only in the cases of liquids and gases.

How does convection cause the motion of plates that drives plate tectonics quizlet?

Part of the mantle consists of the molten material that circulates in convection currents beneath the earths crust. This process drives plate tectonics. … when two oceanic plates pull apart at a divergent boundary, magma rises and new crust is formed on the ocean floor.

How does gravity affect plate tectonics?

The main driving force of plate tectonics is gravity. If a plate with oceanic lithosphere meets another plate, the dense oceanic lithosphere dives beneath the other plate and sinks into the mantle: this process is called subduction.

How does gravity affect convection currents?

The driving force for natural convection is gravity. For example if there is a layer of cold dense air on top of hotter less dense air, gravity pulls more strongly on the denser layer on top, so it falls while the hotter less dense air rises to take its place. This creates circulating flow: convection.

How do convection currents help form underwater mountains?

Convection currents carry heat from the lower mantle and core to the lithosphere. … As tectonic plates slowly move away from each other, heat from the mantle’s convection currents makes the crust more plastic and less dense. The less-dense material rises, often forming a mountain or elevated area of the seafloor.

How does convection contribute to the distribution of heat and moisture across Earth?

Convection. Convection is the transfer of heat energy in a fluid. … As the rock’s temperature rises due to conduction, heat energy is released into the atmosphere, forming a bubble of air which is warmer than the surrounding air. This bubble of air rises into the atmosphere.

What causes convection currents in the earth’s mantle?

Convection Currents in the Mantle

Heat in the mantle comes from the Earth’s molten outer core, decay of radioactive elements and, in the upper mantle, friction from descending tectonic plates. … The temperature difference between the upper and lower boundaries of the mantle requires heat transfer to occur.

How is the Earth’s surface affected by the movement of the tectonic plates?

Plate motions cause mountains to rise where plates push together, or converge, and continents to fracture and oceans to form where plates pull apart, or diverge. The continents are embedded in the plates and drift passively with them, which over millions of years results in significant changes in Earth’s geography.

At which location do the convection currents cause the plates to diverge?

Convection currents in the mantle are thought to be the driving force behind tectonic movement. At which location do the convection currents cause the plates to diverge? folded mountains.

What will happen if tectonic plates continue to move?

There would also be far fewer earthquakes, since most are due to motion of the plates. Erosion would continue to wear the mountains down, but with no tectonic activity to refresh them, over a few million years they would erode down to low rolling hills.

How convection in Earth’s interior and conduction in the surface affect the?

The temperature in our atmosphere is influenced by conduction, radiation, and convection from the earth’s interior and surface. … Conduction has a direct effect on air temperature only a few millimeters into the atmosphere. During the day, sunlight heats the soil, which then heats the air directly above it by conduction.

How do convection currents cause volcanoes to erupt?

Convection current movements create a push and pull effect, creating the volcanic trenches, which are formed when two plates collide. … If the magma continues to rise towards the surface of the gap, the formation of another volcano may take place.

How do mid ocean ridge and trenches form during convection currents?