Name _________________________________________ Date ________________ Period ___________
Inquiry 16.1
Part A Read the procedures on pg 192-193 in Catastrophic Events.
1.
Draw arrows on the diagram below to show the movement of fluid within your jar.
2.
Record your observations of the fluid. _______________________________________________
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Part B Compare your diagram with the drawing below.
1.
Label your picture in Part A to show how it is a model of Earth’s interior. What part of your
model represents the mantle? What part of your model represents the core? What part of your model
represents a trench? A spreading ridge? ____________________________________________________
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Part C
1. Under what conditions could you see convection cells forming in the jar? How did they move?
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2. What happened to the fluid near the upper surface of the jar (parallel to the table)?
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3. What causes convection currents to form in a gas or liquid (think back to our storms unit)?
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4. On the basis of what you have seen in the jar, what effect do you think convection in the hot mantle
might have on Earth’s plates? What observations of the fluid inside your jar support your
explanations?
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