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Transcript
The Earth’s Interior: A Brief Overview It is imperative to understand the earth's structure before you can understand tectonic forces. The earth's interior is neither all solid nor is it all molten. There are layers with a different density, thickness and composition. Furthermore the earth's crust is not one continuous layer. It is broken into many sections known as plates. Some plates are quite small while others are quite large. They all float and move on top of the molten asthenosphere. When they push together and when they pull apart they create "tectonic forces". It is interesting to note; without this liquid layer called the asthenosphere we would not experience earthquakes or volcanoes. Inner Core: The deepest part of the earth (1512 miles deep) is a solid that contains both iron and nickel. It is because of this that the centre of the earth is a magnet, a compass. It generates a magnetic field that protects the earth from flying out of orbit. Outer Core: Outside of the inner core lays the outer core (1419 miles deep). This is much like the inner core with the exception that it is a liquid that contains sulphur and oxygen (which lowers the melting point). Mantle: Occupying 1789 miles of the earth is the magma (iron and magnesium) that makes up the mantle. It is mostly solid except the outer 200-300 Km which is extremely hot and goopy; very plasticlike. This outermost liquid layer of the mantle is referred to as the asthenosphere. Mohorovicic Discontinuity (MOHO): Boundary between the mantle (asthenosphere) and the Lithosphere. Lithosphere (crust): This is the top layer of the earth, which is basically hardened mantle (magma). It contains two segments, the oceanic and continental crusts. Note: this is the same crust, it just depends how thick it is to determine if it is part of the Oceanic or Continental Crust. For instance, if you drained all of the water from earth, then there would be one, giant Continental Crust. Likewise, if you flooded everything, you'd have one, giant Oceanic Crust.