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Inside the Earth
Chapter 7 section 1
Standard: S6E5.a
Compare and contrast the Earth’s crust,
mantle, and core including temperature,
density, and composition.
Objectives:
Identify the layers of the Earth by their
chemical composition.
 Identify the layer of the Earth by their
physical properties.

The composition of the Earth.
Earth is divided into 3 layers - the crust, the
mantle, and the core – based on the
compounds that make up each layer.
 Less dense compounds make up the crust
and mantle
 Densest or heavier compounds make up the
core.
The Crust
Solid, outermost layer
 5 to 100 km thick
 Temp. ranges 0°C to 1,000°C
 Thinnest layer
 Less than 1% of Earth’s mass
 2 types of crust – continental and oceanic
 Both mostly contain elements of oxygen,
silicon, and aluminum
 denser oceanic crust also contains twice as
much iron, calcium, magnesium

The Mantle
solid layer between the crust and the core
 Contains most of the Earth’s mass, 67%
 2,900 km thick
 Temp. ranges 1000°C to 3,700°C
 Clues about the mantel comes from rocks
that have been pushed to the surface, and
the ocean floor (underwater volcanoes)
 More magnesium and less aluminum and
silicon than the crust, denser than the
crust

The Core
Layer of the Earth that extends from below
the mantle to the center of the Earth.
 Outer core – liquid, inner core - solid
 33% of Earth’s mass
 Radius of 3,420 km
 Temp. ranges from 3,700°C to 7,000°C (sun’s
surface temp – 5500°C
 Composed mainly of iron and contains smaller
amounts of nickel but almost no oxygen,
silicon, aluminum, or magnesium.

Earth’s Layers