What parts of earth's interior are involved in a convection current?
The mantle. Core.
Is that right?
Yes, you are correct. The parts of Earth's interior that are involved in a convection current are the mantle and the core.
To understand why, let me explain how convection currents work in Earth's interior. The Earth's mantle is a layer of solid rock that lies directly above the core. The core, on the other hand, is divided into two parts: the outer core, which is made of liquid iron and nickel, and the inner core, which is solid due to extreme pressure.
Convection currents occur in the mantle and the outer core. These currents are driven by heat from the Earth's core, mainly from the radioactive decay of elements such as uranium, thorium, and potassium. As these elements decay, they release large amounts of heat, which causes the mantle and the outer core to become hotter.
When the mantle and outer core heat up, the materials within them expand and become less dense. This buoyancy causes the hotter materials to rise towards the Earth's surface. As they rise, they eventually reach the cooler regions near the surface and lose their heat. Once the materials cool down, they become denser and sink back down towards the core due to gravity. This sinking motion completes the convection cycle.
So, to summarize, the parts of Earth's interior involved in convection currents are the mantle and the outer core. The mantle experiences convective movements due to the heat generated from the Earth's core, while the outer core also contributes to convection due to its liquid state.