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What are convection currents and how do they flow? Explain the process in which convection occurs.
Convection currents are the pattern of movement that occurs when a gas or liquid rises as it becomes warmer in one area and sinks as it becomes cooler in one area, it flows in a continuous loop. As the air is heated, its molecules begin to spread apart, getting less dense and rising. As the warm air rises into the atmosphere, it begins to cool. When the air is no longer warmer and less dense that the air above it, it will stop rising. The air then begins to cool as it molecules get closer together, the cool air begins to sink when it becomes denser than the warmer air beneath it. The cool air sinks and replaces the warm, rising air.The cooler air is then warmed by conduction with the Earth's surface, rising as well.