Download Cross section of the Earth

A cross section of Earth
© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y3 Sc Rocks Session B
The Structure of the Earth
Further Information
 The Earth is a sphere with a diameter of 12,700m. As we
go deeper and deeper into the Earth the temperature &
pressure rises.
 Considering the size of the planet, the Crust is very thin.
We live on this outer layer. It is made of hard rocks that
have been wrinkled & bent to make mountains and
valleys. The thinnest parts of the crust are under the
oceans; the thickest parts are in mountainous regions on
the continents.
 The Mantle is the layer under the crust. It is a very thick
layer of red-hot solid rocks; some of these rocks are so
soft that they ooze about and can blast out of cracks in
the crust, as lava.
 The layer under the mantle is called the Outer Core. It is
made of liquid iron and nickel. Special movement in this
section is responsible for the Earth’s magnetic field
 Finally, the bit in the middle is called the Inner Core. The
weight of all the rocks above it squash the core into a
solid ball of iron and nickel. It is thought to be between
5000-6000°C – unbelievably hot – 60 times hotter than
boiling water!!
© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y3 Sc Rocks Session B