What are convention currents and what causes them

A convection current is a process which involves the movement of energy from one place to another. It is also called to as convection heat transfer. ... These things happen as a result of the Convection Currents. The convection currents tend to move a fluid or gas particles from one place to another.

Convection currents are the result of differential heating. Lighter (less dense), warm material rises while heavier (more dense) cool material sinks. It is this movement that creates circulation patterns known as convection currents in the atmosphere, in water, and in the mantle of Earth.

Mantle convection is the process that drives plate tectonics. the theory of plate tectonics states that the crust is divided into plates that float on the semi molten mantle below. the circular motion of the magma as it slowly rises and falls or move though convection cells drags the plates along causing them to move. the heat source in the lamp would represent the earth's core. the core is the source of energy that drives convection in the mantle. the lava represents molten magma under the earth's surface. if the lava lamp had floating pieces they would move as the circular motion of the lava in the lamp as it rises and falls would move them along the surface. these floating pieces would represent pieces of the earth's crust.