Download 11/4 Convection Currents

INTRO TO PLATE TECTONICS
BELLWORK 11/4
Did you enjoy learning from the book? Why or why not?
TODAY I WILL BE ABLE TO
Draw a model of convection
currents in the earth’s mantle.
Big Question
WHY DO WE
HAVE THE
CURRENT
PATTERN OF
LAND THAT WE
SEE TODAY?
i
a
l
p
x
E
t
n
!
s
hi
Alfred Wegener
=RockLayers
=Cynognathus
=Glossopteris
=Mesosaurus
=Glaciers
=Mountains
THEORY OF CONTINENTAL
DRIFT
the continents existed in a
supercontinent named pangea
continents separated over
millions of years
never said how
ALFRED WEGENER’S THEORY
WAS INCOMPLETE. IT DIDN’T
ACCOUNT FOR WHY?
WHY/HOW DID OUR
CONTINENTS MOVE?
DISCUSS WITH A PARTNER: ARE WE
STANDING ON SOLID GROUND?
THE EARTH IS NOT A SOLID
SPHERE
THE EARTH’S CRUST
Broken into many land masses
called “plates”
Continents are a part of these
plates
plates also include the seafloor
CRUST, MANTLE, CORE
The earth has several layers - we
live on the outside layer - the
hard “crust”
Below the crust is molten rock
that flows like a thick liquid
We are living atop melted rock
CHECK YO’SELF!
The earth’s crust is
1. One solid layer and piece, like an egg shell
2. broken into many different parts
3. Split into layers
0. I have no clue
2. the earth’s crust is broken into many different parts
or pieces called tectonic plates.
CHECK YO’SELF!
The earth is:
1. one solid ball
2. separated into levels of different states of matter
3. made out of melted rock
0. I have no clue
We are living atop melted rock
What causes the waves??
CONVECTION CURRENTS
IN YOUR NOTES
watch the video
describe what you see happening
What made the food dye rise?
HEAT! HEAT
GENERALLY
RISES!
CONVECTION
flow of heated material away
from the heat source, carrying
energy with it, as it cools it sinks
CONVECTION CURRENTS
energy (heat) is released from the earth’s
core
that energy heats molten rock in the mantle
the hot, molten rock rises
as it rises, more molten rock takes its place
and moves behind it
hot!
Watch video!
as the rock rises to towards the crust it
cools and begins to solidify
the cooled rock get pushed by the hot rock
behind it, which is pushed by the hot rock
behind it, etc.
the cooled rock sinks and returns to the
current to reheat
UNLIKE
WEGENER’S
CONTINENTAL
DRIFT THEORY,
THE THEORY
OF PLATE
TECTONICS
TELLS US WHY
CONTINENTS
MOVE!
CHECK YO’SELF! - IN YOUR
NOTES
What causes our earth’s plates to move?
1. Heat from the earth’s core
2. The liquid layers of the earth
3. The earth’s spinning
0. I have no clue
DRAW A MODEL TO EXPLAIN WHAT
CAUSES CONTINENTAL DRIFT
Draw & label the earth & important layers to convection currents
You can draw half the earth if that is helpful
Draw & label the movement of material beneath the earth’s crust
use arrows
label heating/cooling, rising/falling
Draw the movement & direction of tectonic plates
Think back to the information you read over the last 3 days