what section heats the thick liquid found in the mantle? please help me.. thank you.
The thick liquid found in the Earth's mantle is primarily heated by the process of convection. Convection occurs due to the heat generated from the Earth's core, which is transferred to the mantle by the process of conduction.
To understand this, let's take a step-by-step approach:
1. The core of the Earth is extremely hot, with temperatures reaching over 5000 degrees Celsius. This immense heat is generated primarily through the radioactive decay of elements like uranium, thorium, and potassium.
2. The heat from the core is conducted through the solid inner core and the semi-liquid outer core, which are composed mainly of iron and nickel.
3. As the heat reaches the boundary between the outer core and the lower mantle, it starts to induce convective motion in the mantle. The heat causes the material in the mantle to become less dense, making it rise towards the surface.
4. The upward-moving material eventually reaches the upper mantle and the lithosphere, which is the rigid outermost layer of the Earth. As it cools down, it becomes denser and sinks back down towards the core, completing the convective cycle.
5. This process of convection continuously circulates heat in the mantle, ensuring that the thick liquid within it remains heated.
In summary, it is the process of convection driven by the heat from the core that primarily heats the thick liquid found in the Earth's mantle.