Article

Earth's Interior
Learn about the layers inside the Earth, inaccessible to humans.

Inside the Earth

The deepest layer is a solid iron ball, about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) in diameter. Although this inner core is white
hot, the pressure is so high the iron cannot melt.

The iron isn't pure—scientists believe it contains sulfur and nickel, plus smaller amounts of other elements. Estimates
of its temperature vary, but it is probably somewhere between 9,000 and 13,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,000 and 7,000
degrees Celsius).

Above the inner core is the outer core, a shell of liquid iron. This layer is cooler but still very hot, perhaps 7,200 to 9,000
degrees Fahrenheit (4,000 to 5,000 degrees Celsius). It too is composed mostly of iron, plus substantial amounts of
sulfur and nickel. It creates the Earth's magnetic field and is about 1,400 miles (2,300 kilometers) thick.

River of Rock

The next layer is the mantle. Many people think of this as lava, but it's actually rocks. The rock is so hot, however, that
it flows under pressure, like road tar. This creates very slow-moving currents as hot rock rises.

The mantle is about 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) thick and appears to be divided into two layers: the upper mantle
and the lower mantle. The boundary between the two lies about 465 miles (750 kilometers) beneath the Earth's surface.

The crust is the outermost layer of the Earth. It is the familiar landscape on which we live: rocks, soil, and seabed. It
ranges from about five miles (eight kilometers) thick beneath the oceans to an average of 25 miles (40 kilometers) thick
beneath the continents.

Currents within the mantle have broken the crust into blocks, called plates, which slowly move around, colliding to
build mountains or rifting apart to form new seafloor.

Continents are composed of relatively light blocks that float high on the mantle, like gigantic, slow-moving icebergs.
Seafloor is made of a denser rock called basalt, which presses deeper into the mantle, producing basins that can fill
with water.

Except in the crust, the interior of the Earth cannot be studied by drilling holes to take samples. Instead, scientists map
the interior by watching how seismic waves from earthquakes are bent, reflected, sped up, or delayed by the various
layers.

(source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/surface-of-the-earth/earths-interior/)

Questions:
1. How many layers is Earth composed of?
2. What is the diameter of the deepest layer of the Earth?
3. Why does the inner core is not melting even though it is very hot?
4. Aside from iron, what other elements are found inside earth?
5. What is created by the outer core?
6. What creates a very slow-moving current in the mantle?
7. How thick is the mantle?
8. What is the outermost layer of the Earth?
9. What do you call the broken crust?
10. How do the scientists map the interior of the Earth?
Article

Earth's Interior
Learn about the layers inside the Earth, inaccessible to humans.

Inside the Earth

The deepest layer is a solid iron ball, about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) in diameter. Although this inner core is white
hot, the pressure is so high the iron cannot melt.

The iron isn't pure—scientists believe it contains sulfur and nickel, plus smaller amounts of other elements. Estimates
of its temperature vary, but it is probably somewhere between 9,000 and 13,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,000 and 7,000
degrees Celsius).

Above the inner core is the outer core, a shell of liquid iron. This layer is cooler but still very hot, perhaps 7,200 to 9,000
degrees Fahrenheit (4,000 to 5,000 degrees Celsius). It too is composed mostly of iron, plus substantial amounts of
sulfur and nickel. It creates the Earth's magnetic field and is about 1,400 miles (2,300 kilometers) thick.

River of Rock

The next layer is the mantle. Many people think of this as lava, but it's actually rocks. The rock is so hot, however, that
it flows under pressure, like road tar. This creates very slow-moving currents as hot rock rises.

The mantle is about 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) thick and appears to be divided into two layers: the upper mantle
and the lower mantle. The boundary between the two lies about 465 miles (750 kilometers) beneath the Earth's surface.

The crust is the outermost layer of the Earth. It is the familiar landscape on which we live: rocks, soil, and seabed. It
ranges from about five miles (eight kilometers) thick beneath the oceans to an average of 25 miles (40 kilometers) thick
beneath the continents.

Currents within the mantle have broken the crust into blocks, called plates, which slowly move around, colliding to
build mountains or rifting apart to form new seafloor.

Continents are composed of relatively light blocks that float high on the mantle, like gigantic, slow-moving icebergs.
Seafloor is made of a denser rock called basalt, which presses deeper into the mantle, producing basins that can fill
with water.

Except in the crust, the interior of the Earth cannot be studied by drilling holes to take samples. Instead, scientists map
the interior by watching how seismic waves from earthquakes are bent, reflected, sped up, or delayed by the various
layers.

(source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/surface-of-the-earth/earths-interior/)

Questions:
1. How many layers is Earth composed of?
2. What is the diameter of the deepest layer of the Earth?
3. Why does the inner core is not melting even though it is very hot?
4. Aside from iron, what other elements are found inside earth?
5. What is created by the outer core?
6. What creates a very slow-moving current in the mantle?
7. How thick is the mantle?
8. What is the outermost layer of the Earth?
9. What do you call the broken crust?
10. How do the scientists map the interior of the Earth?