0055_phes09_GRSW_Ch08.

QXD 5/9/07 7:44 PM Page 61

Name ___________________________ Class ___________________ Date _____________

Chapter 8 Earthquakes and Earth’s Interior

This section describes Earth’s layers and their composition.

Reading Strategy
Sequencing After you read, complete the sequence of layers in
Earth’s interior. For more information on this Reading Strategy, see the
Reading and Study Skills in the Skills and Reference Handbook at
the end of your textbook.

Earth’s Internal Structure

lithosphere a. asthenosphere b. lower outer core c. inner

mantle core

Layers Defined by Composition

1. Use the figure of Earth’s structure to write the letter(s) that
represents each of the following layers.
mantle E (including D and parts of C)
continental crust A
B A
oceanic crust B

core F and G

C
Depth (km)

100

D
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200

350–700

5–40 km

5
288
km F
0
227
6 km
121
km

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0055_phes09_GRSW_Ch08.QXD 5/9/07 3:34 PM Page 62

Name ___________________________ Class ___________________ Date _____________

Chapter 8 Earthquakes and Earth’s Interior

Layers Defined by Physical Properties

2. Use the figure of Earth’s structure on the previous page to write
the letter that represents each of the following layers.
inner core G

asthenosphere D

outer core F

lithosphere C

Match each description with its Earth layer.

Description Earth Layer
a 3. soft, weak rock near a. asthenosphere
its melting point b. inner core
c 4. liquid iron-nickel alloy that c. outer core
generates Earth’s magnetic field
d. lithosphere
d 5. cool, rigid crust and
uppermost mantle
b 6. solid iron-nickel alloy
Discovering Earth’s Layers
7. The boundary called the Moho separates the crust
from the mantle.
8. Is the following sentence true or false? Geologists concluded that
the outer core was liquid because P waves could not travel through
it. false

© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.
9. Why do P waves bend when they travel into the outer core from the
mantle? The core and mantle are composed of different materials.

Discovering Earth’s Composition

Match each composition with its Earth layer.
Composition Earth Layer
b 10. basaltic rock a. continental crust
a 11. granitic rock b. oceanic crust
d 12. similar to stony meteorites c. core
c 13. similar to metallic meteorites d. mantle

14. Meteorites that collide with Earth provide evidence of

Earth’s inner composition.
15. Is the following sentence true or false? Until the late 1960s,
scientists had only seismic evidence they could use to determine
the composition of oceanic crust. true

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