Modeling Convection Currents

Developed by SEPUP

SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS / PROCESSES

• The continents are part of large lithospheric plates that have moved over geological time and continue to move at a rate of centimeters per year. One theory is that convection currents within the earths mantle drive this plate motion
• The earth is made up of different layers (crust, mantle, outer core, inner core). Each of these layers has distinct properties
• Heat moves in predictable ways
• Models are one way to understand and communicate scientific information

Small groups of students use unique LAB-AIDS/SEPUP materials to investigate convection currents in water. They use their experiences to develop an operational understanding of the relationship between water temperature and its movement. This knowledge is then applied to geology as students analyze data about the earths layers and convection currents in the lithosphere. The hands-on experience with convection in water coupled with the knowledge of earths interior is combined to explain the motion of the earths tectonic plates

Contents List

• 1 Teachers Manual with MSDS
• 28 Student Worksheets and Guides
• 12 9-oz plastic cups
• 6 20-cc plastic syringes
• 6 LAB-AIDS plastic cups with circular depression
• 6 small vials with 2-holed cap
• 6 l5-mL bottles of red food coloring
• 1 Transparency: Layers of the Earth