Plasticity Lab Reflection

In science class, we did a lab to demonstrate the plasticity of Earth's mantle. We did this by putting cornstarch and water in a beaker and mixing them. After mixing it for a while, it started to become very hard to mix. After mixing it more the outcome was a substance that was both a solid and liquid. When heat and pressure were applied the mixture behaved like a solid. However, if you let it sit in your hand it will slip and slide, like a liquid. This was very interesting to see and was very fun to play with as well. I think that it is cool to know that the mantle of our planet is similar to what we were playing with in science class. The combination acts like the Earth's mantle because the mantle is forced between the crust and the outer core which is very hot and those two layers apply extreme pressure upon the mantle. This is also the reason why the crust is able to sit on top of the mantle. This has been my favortie lab yet and I would love to try it at home.