Layers of the Earth
Intro
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/ind
8-3.1 ex.cfm?guidAssetId=C1B0E416-A17D-45B
6-875C-88CCC8403AA7&blnFromSearch=
1&productcode=US
Essential Information
• The Earth has layers that have specific conditions
(states) and composition (made up of).
Image courtesy of Wikipedia (2010).
Image courtesy of Volcanolive (2010).
• Earth’s interior is composed of 4 layers:
3 solid and 1 liquid
1. Crust
2. Mantle
3. Outer core
4. Inner core
Outermost layer – made of the lightest materials - rock,
soil & seabed.
Divided into continental crust and oceanic crust.
Thickness ranges from 8km beneath oceans to 40km
beneath continents.
Continents are relatively light ‘blocks’ floating high on
the upper mantle.
Seafloor is made of ‘basalt,’ a denser rock that presses
deeper into the mantle.
• Outermost layer; thinnest under the ocean,
thickest under continents; contains the
lithosphere
Crust
Is made up of the
Crust and the
The crust is typically about 25
Moho. miles thick beneath
continents, and about 6.5
miles thick beneath oceans..
Most earthquakes occur
within the crust. The crust in
this image is much smaller in
the real earth!
s the dividing line between the
Crust and the Mantle. 8
The Crust
* The Earth’s crust is like
the skin of an apple. It
is very thin compared to
the other three layers.
*The crust makes up 1% of
the Earth.
* The crust of the Earth
is broken into many
pieces called plates.
The Crust
• Outer layer
• 5-100 km thick
• 2 types of crust
– Oceanic (very dense, made of basalt)
– Continental (less dense, made of granite)
Oceanic and Continental Crust
The lithosphere is a "rocky“ rigid outermost shell of a rocky planet.
On Earth, it comprises the crust and the portion of the upper mantle
that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or more.
• Least dense layer overall; Oceanic crust
(basalt) is more dense than continental crust
(granite)
• Solid Rock – mostly silicon and oxygen
• Oceanic basalt
• Continental granite
Upper mantle and lower mantle – 2900 km thick
(approx 84% of earth’s volume).
Temperature ranges – 500ºC near crust to 4,000ºC
near outer core.
Primarily solid, but the rock is so hot that parts of
the mantle ‘flow’ under pressure.
Hot rock rises and cooler rock descends creating
slow moving currents.
Composed of Magnesium, Iron, Aluminum, Silcon
and Oxygen.
The Mantle
• The mantle is the
layer below the
crust.
• The mantle is the
largest layer of the
Earth.
• The mantle is
divided into two
regions: the upper
and lower sections.
Mantle
Is the outer layer of the
mantle.
• The region just below
the crust and extending
all the way down to the
Earth's core is called the
mantle.
The Mantle
• Middle layer
• Very thick layer
• Middle layer, thickest layer; top portion called
the asthenosphere
Asthenosphere - is a portion of the upper mantle just below the lithosphere that
is involved in plate tectonic movements. The asthenosphere is a highly viscous,
mechanically weak deforming region, but pressures keeps it like a thick soupy
plastic. The Asthenosphere has a relatively low density so Seismic waves pass
relatively slowly through the asthenosphere compared to the overlying
lithosphere.
Core
• Beneath the mantle is
the Earth's core. The
Earth's core consists of
a fluid outer core and a
solid inner core.
Because the outer core
contains iron, when it
flows it generates a
magnetic field. This is
the source of the
Earth's magnetic field.
The Core
• Made mostly of iron
• 1/3 of the earth’s mass
• Very hot
Liquid layer above the inner core – shell of molten
iron, 2,300 km thick.
Cooler than outer core – but still scorching hot at
approx 4,500ºC .
Mostly iron, plus sulphur & nickle.
Electrically conducive liquid - Creates earth’s
magnetic field.
Outer Core
* The core of the
Earth is like a ball
of very hot metals.
* The outer core is
liquid.
* The outer core is
made up of iron and
is very dense.
Center of the earth - Deepest layer, 6250 km under the
surface
A solid ball of an iron alloy (sulphur & nickle traces).
Solidified state due to intense pressure.
2400 km in diameter, high pressure, WHITE HOT like
the sun - approx 6000ºC.
Inner Core
* The inner core of
the Earth has
temperatures and
pressures so great
that the metals are
squeezed together
and are not able to
move.
* The inner core is a
solid.
• Inner layer, consists of two parts
• Heaviest material; most dense layer
• Density increases with depth because of
increasing pressure
• Hot softened rock; contains iron and
magnesium
• Mostly iron and nickel; outer slow flowing
liquid, inner part, solid
Solid Rock – mostly
silicon and oxygen
Oceanic crust – basalt;
Continental crust –
granite
Hot softened rock;
contains iron and
magnesium
Mostly iron and nickel;
outer core – slow flowing
liquid, inner core, solid
Summary of Earth’s Layers
Copy Table into Notebook
Layer Relative Position Density Composition
Crust Outermost layer; Least dense layer Solid Rock – mostly
thinnest under the overall; Oceanic silicon and oxygen
ocean, thickest crust (basalt) is Oceanic crust –
under continents; more dense than basalt;
crust and top of continental crust Continental crust –
mantle called the (granite) granite
lithosphere
Mantle Middle layer, Density increases Hot softened rock;
thickest layer; top with depth because contains iron and
portion called the of increasing magnesium
asthenosphere pressure
Core Inner layer, consists Heaviest material; Mostly iron and
of two parts – outer most dense layer nickel; outer core –
core and inner core slow flowing liquid,
inner core, solid
How can you use your hands to remember the layers of the Earth?
