Geologists in the early 1900s concluded that heat flow through continents should be greater than heat flow through ocean floors. Evaluate this hypothesis.
A) True. The granite of the continental crust contains more radioactive elements than the basalt of the ocean floor, so more heat is produced in continental crust.
B) True. Continental crust is thicker than ocean crust, so more heat is produced in the thicker layer.
C) False. The lithosphere is thinner beneath oceans than continents, so heat flows more easily up from the mantle.
D) False. The basalt of the ocean floor has a better insulating quality than continental crust granite.
Question 2
Which of the following factors is most influential in causing convection in the outer core?
A) The outer core has a low viscosity, approximately equal to that of water at room temperature.
B) The outer core has a high heat conductivity.
C) Compositional differences create a difference in density.
D) Heating causes expansion of fluids.
Countercurrent heat exchange.
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