Convection Currents - GCSE Geography Definition

Convection currents are the circular movements of fluid, such as air or liquid, caused by the heating and cooling process, which results in the transfer of heat energy. In the context of plate tectonics when the mantle beneath the Earth's crust is heated by the core, it becomes less dense and rises, creating upward currents. As it moves away from the heat source, it cools down, becomes denser, and sinks back towards the core, creating a continuous loop. Tectonic theory once stated the movement of the plates was the result of convection currents in the mantle. The current theory is called slab pull theory which suggests that the movement is the result of the weight of the denser oceanic plates subducting and dragging the rest of the plate along