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Layers of The Earth

identify the layers of the earth

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michaelajanegultiano6
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12 views

Layers of The Earth

identify the layers of the earth

Uploaded by

michaelajanegultiano6
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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IDENTIFY AND DIFFERENTIATE THE LAYERS OF THE EARTH

Crust
The crust of the Earth is the area that is arguably best known by
scientists, and certainly the one the general public is the most
familiar with, as it is where we live. Human life all exists on the
crust of the Earth, as does the rest of known organic life. The
crust is the thinnest of the four layers on Earth, and is only 1
percent of the whole Earth. The crust’s thickness ranges in
measurement from only 5 to 70 km thick, depending on location.
Mantle
The mantle makes up 84 percent of the Earth’s volume, and consists of
both solid and molten rock known as magma. When the Earth was young,
the majority of the mantle would have been viscous melted rock, but this
has cooled and solidified over millions of years to form the mantle we
know today. The mantle is much thicker than the crust, and measures
some 2,900 km in depth and is mainly composed of silicate rock such as
olivine, garnet, and pyroxene; or the rock known as magnesium oxide. A
number of other elements are common in the mantle layer, including iron,
aluminum, calcium, sodium, and potassium.
Outer Core
Below the mantle lies the layer known as the Outer Core. This is a thick
layer - some 2,200 km (1367 miles) thick - that consists of liquid iron and
nickel. In order for the nickel and iron to be in liquid form, the core must
sustain intensely high heat. It has been determined that this layer is liquid,
based on the extensive study of seismic waves, and the way in which they
bounce off the center of the Earth. The waves move differently through solid
or liquids, thus distinguishing the outer core from its solid inner counterpart.
This layer is also not static. As the Earth rotates on its axis, the liquid metal
of the outer core also spins, turning approximately 0.3 to 0.5 degrees per
year relative to the rotation of the surface. The outer core is also thought to
be the cause of the magnetic field on Earth. It is this field which allows for
life to be sustained here, as the field helps form a protective layer around
the Earth’s atmosphere, blocking harmful solar winds.
Outer core
Inner Core
At the very centre of the Earth is what is known as the Inner Core.
Protected by the liquid outer core, mantle, and crust, the inner core is a hot
solid ball of highly pressurized nickel and iron, with a temperature of
approximately 5,700 K (5,430 °C; 9,800 °F), which is roughly the same as
that of the sun. The core makes up around 20 percent of the Earth’s mass,
measuring 1,220 km (760 mi), and is roughly 70 percent of the size of the
moon (including the outer core it would be twice the moon’s size). The core
is an extremely dense and highly pressurized environment. The inner core
is actually expanding very slowly as the outer core layer solidifies. This
solidification can be attributed to the high density and pressure found in the
Earth’s center. In theory, this means the whole core will eventually fully cool
and become a purely solid mass over billions of years.
Inner core
CRUST MANTLE OUTER CORE INNER CORE
Description: The Earth’s Description: Located beneath Description: Extends from Description: The central part of
outermost layer where we the crust, extending to a depth 2,900 km to about 5,150 km the Earth, extending from
live. of about 2,900 km beneath the Earth’s surface. about 5,150 km to the Earth’s
center at about 6,371 km.

Composition It has an Composition: Silicate rocks rich Composition: Liquid iron and Composition: Primarily iron,
irregular thickness, varying in iron and magnesium. nickel. with minor amounts of nickel
from about 5 km beneath and other lighter elements.
the oceans (oceanic crust)
to about 30 km beneath
the continents (continental
crust). The crust mainly
consists of lighter rocks,
such as basalt in the
oceanic crust and granite
in the continental crust.

Thickness: Varies from Subdivisions There are two Function The motion within State Solid due to immense
about 5 km beneath the sections of the mantle: the this layer generates the Earth’s pressure despite high
oceans (oceanic crust) to upper mantle, which is more magnetic field. temperatures.
about 30 km beneath the rigid and behaves elastically on
continents (continental short time scales, and the lower
crust). mantle, which is solid but flows
on geological timescales.

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