Mantle Convection and Plate Movement
11th Grade · Science · 75 min
Lesson Preview
Learning Objective
I can describe how mantle convection drives the movement of tectonic plates.
- 1
Continental crust is felsic, while oceanic crust is mafic, and oceanic crust is more dense than continental crust.
- 2
The mantle is a solid, but malleable layer that convects like a lava lamp, transferring primordial and radiogenic heat to the surface, and is mainly composed of peridotite.
- 3
The liquid outer core, composed of iron and nickel, convects and creates a geodynamo that maintains Earth's magnetic field, while the solid inner core helps stabilize the magnetic field and exhibits super-rotation.