GLG 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Outer Core, Seafloor Spreading, Olympus Mons
Document Summary
Mantle convection the transfer of heat by movement of material within the mantle gets added to the lithosphere at constructive margins, while cool lithosphere descends into subduction zones. Plate tectonics - the fact that earth is very hot inside and the planet loses much of that heat through internal convection is the root cause for plate tectonic activity. The presence of abundant water is essential to the functioning of plate tectonics as we know it. Seismic data show temperature variations within the mantle. Whole mantle convection: entire mantle convects as one unit. Two-layer convection: separate upper and l lower mantle convection cells, with upper mantle convection driven by lower mantle movement. Overall, plate motion is a manifestation of mantle convection but the relationship between the two is not simple. The early picture of mantle convection patterns directly determines plate motion patterns is not true.
