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Chapter 9: Problem 16

Explain how convection in the Earth's interior drives the process of plate tectonics.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Convection currents in Earth's mantle, caused by heat from the core, drive the movement of tectonic plates. The hot, less dense material rises, and the cool, denser material sinks, creating a continuous cycle. This movement in turn causes the tectonic plates on the crust to move, leading to various geological activities, a process known as plate tectonics.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Convection

Convection is a process of heat transfer where hot fluid rises and cold fluid sinks due to difference in densities, creating a cycle. This is applicable to Earth's interior as well, the hot semi-fluid mantle underneath the crust rises up whereas the cooler one sinks creating a convection cycle.
02

Relating Convection with Plate Movements

The Earth's crust is divided into large sections known as tectonic plates, which fit together like a puzzle. These plates rest on the semi-fluid mantle beneath. These convection currents in the mantle cause the tectonic plates to move slowly on the earth’s surface.
03

Impact of Plate Movements

The movement of these plates causes them to collide, move apart or slide past each other leading to geological activities like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, formation of mountains etc. This process is called plate tectonics.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Measurements of the sea floor show that the Eurasian and North American plates have moved \(60 \mathrm{~km}\) apart in the past \(3.3\) million years. How far apart (in millimeters) do they move in one year? (By comparison, your fingernails grow at a rate of about \(50 \mathrm{~mm} /\) year.)

How are scientists able to measure what the atmospheric \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) concentration and average surface temperature were in the distant past?

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The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement made by a number of nations around the world to reduce their production of greenhouse gases. Use the World Wide Web to investigate the status of the Kyoto Protocol. How many nations have signed the protocol? What fraction of the world's greenhouse gas production comes from these nations? Have any developed nations failed to sign? How effective has the protocol been?

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