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Earth consists of several concentric layers: the lithosphere (crust), hydrosphere (water bodies), and atmosphere (gases). The lithosphere is divided into SIAL (continental crust) and SIMA (oceanic crust), while the Earth's interior comprises the core, mantle, and crust, with the core being the densest part made of iron and nickel. The mantle lies beneath the crust and is divided into upper and lower sections, with varying temperatures and densities.

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Untitled Document (4)

Earth consists of several concentric layers: the lithosphere (crust), hydrosphere (water bodies), and atmosphere (gases). The lithosphere is divided into SIAL (continental crust) and SIMA (oceanic crust), while the Earth's interior comprises the core, mantle, and crust, with the core being the densest part made of iron and nickel. The mantle lies beneath the crust and is divided into upper and lower sections, with varying temperatures and densities.

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harshita01jan
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EARTH’S STRUCTURE

EARTH’S STRUCTURE:
●​ Earth is made up of several concentric layers.
●​ The outer layer is the Earth's crust known as the lithosphere.
●​ Parts of the Earth's crust that are immersed under the oceans and the
seas form the hydrosphere.
●​ Extending upwards the Earth is enveloped by a blanket of gasses
which make up the atmosphere.

Chemical Composition:
●​ The lithosphere (outermost crust of the Earth) is the thinnest layer.
●​ It is made up of rocks with a large content of silicates, feldspar and
mica.
●​ The lithosphere can be divided into two broad divisions: the SIAL and
SIMA.
●​ SIAL appears to float above SIMA because it has lens density. GR
●​ The name SIAL is taken from Silica (Si) and Aluminum (Al.
●​ SIMA is named after Silica (Si) and Magnesium (Mg).
●​ SIAL forms the continents while SIMA makes up the ocean floor.
●​ The core of the earth is called NIFE. It is made up of Nickel (Ni) and
Iron (Fe). Since these are heavy metals having high density, they are
found deep inside the Earth. GR/Why does NIFE form the last
layer of the Earth?

Questions:

a.​ Name the 2 broad divisions the earth crust is divided depending on
the chemical composition
INTERNAL COMPOSITION:​
Based on the above chemical composition, the Earth's interior is divided
into 3 layers- Core, Mantle and Crust.

➢​Core:
●​ It is the most inaccessible part lying at the center of the Earth.
●​ It is the densest part of the Earth.
●​ It is divided into outer and inner core.
●​ The entire core is about 7000 km in diameter.
●​ The temperature ranges from 4400℃ to 6000℃.
●​ It is believed that the core is composed of Iron and Nickel which
is responsible for the Earth's magnetism. The magnetic field is
oriented toward North and South Poles.
●​ The solid state of the inner core is due to high density and
pressure which have compressed the molten rock material. GR

➢​Mantle:
●​ It lies below the crust.
●​ Its average thickness is 2900 km and makes up 84% of the
Earth's total volume.
●​ The mantle is divided into 2 parts- the upper mantle and the
lower mantle.
●​ The upper mantle extends from the Moho Discontinuity to a
depth of 700 km. It is cooler and made up of solid rocks.
●​ The lower mantle extends from 700 km and 2900 km. It is hotter
and denser than the upper mantle. It is solid due to high
pressure.
❖​At the depth of 100-410 km, the mantle is partially molten and is
known as the asthenosphere.
●​ As the pressure increases towards the interior of the Earth, the
density increases.
●​ The temperature varies between 1000℃ to 3,700℃.

➢​Gutenberg Discontinuity:
❖​The boundary between the mantle and the core or the
mantle-core interface is known as the Gutenberg Discontinuity.

➢​Crust/Lithosphere:
●​ The crust is called a lithosphere because it is a sphere of solid
rocks (Lithos meaning stones or rocks).
●​ Crust is only 1% of the earth's mass and contains all known life
in the universe.
●​ Considering the size of the Earth, the crust is a relatively thin
layer of rocks with a thickness of 60 km below high mountains
and 5-10 km below the oceans.
●​ The temperature of the upper part of the oceanic crust has
been estimated at 0℃ but it gradually starts rising towards the
interior.
●​ The weight and pressure of rocks also starts increasing with
depth.

➢​Mohorovicic Discontinuity:
●​ The discontinuity between the Crust and the Mantle is known as
‘Moho Discontinuity’.

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