Download Layers of the Earth:

Layers of the Earth:
Planet Earth has many distinct layers. The layers are organized by DENSITY – the atmosphere is the least
dense layer and the inner core is the most dense.
Layer
Sub-divisions
Thermosphere
Mesosphere
Stratosphere
Atmosphere
Troposphere
Hydrosphere
Crust
Mantle
Rigid Mantle
Plastic Mantle
(Asthenosphere)
Stiffer Mantle
Outer Core
Inner Core
Composition &
Important notes
Ozone (O3)
Mostly Nitrogen gas
(78%) & Oxygen gas
(21%). Some Water
vapor.
Oceans, Lakes, Rivers,
etc. – 70% Earth’s
surface
Continental & Oceanic
crust – 30% of
Earth’s surface
Very similar to oceanic
crust.
Putty-like properties.
Hot rocks that can flow
This zone also flows
on a much longer time
frame.
Liquid Iron –
responsible for
magnetism of Earth
Solid Iron
ESRT INFO
See ESRT p.14 – Selected Properties
of Earth’s Atmosphere and ESRT
p.11 – Chemical Composition of
Earth’s Crust, Hydrosphere, and
Troposphere
Crust & Rigid Mantle combine to
form the LITHOSPHERE –
Brittle outer shell of rock
surrounding Earth.
See ESRT p.10 –Inferred Properties
of Earth’s interior for details.
Information obtained by studying
seismic (earthquake) waves.
Earth’s Interior: All the layers can be identified on this chart.
Note that the
density
changes for
each zone.
The four zones:
Crust (pink): very thin!
Mantle (light orange):
thickest layer; 3 parts,
rigid or upper most part,
asthenosphere (plasticputty like, molten rock),
and stiffer
Outer Core (aqua):
Liquid iron! Generates
Earth’s magnetic field
Inner Core (plum): Solid
Iron and Nickel.
Meteorites have similar
composition.
Notice that DENSITY, PRESSURE, &
TEMPERATURE all INCREASE WITH DEPTH!
Earth’s Atmosphere:
Temperature is what really distinguishes one layer from the next.
In the TROPOSPHERE the
temperature decreases with altitude from 15ºC at sea level to -55ºC at the tropopause (~12km altitude). In the
STRATOSPHERE the temperature rises with altitude from -55ºC at the tropopause to 0ºC at the stratopause
(~51km altitude). Then in the MESOSPHERE the temperature drops again from 0ºC to -90ºC at the
mesopause (~82km altitude). Finally, in the THERMOSPHERE the temperature increases.
Pressure consistently decreases with altitude.
The only layer of the atmosphere that has any water vapor is the Troposphere and that concentration
decreases with altitude. Obviously, the closer the air is to the surface of the ocean the more water vapor it
would contain.