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The Structure of Earth
Use this text to color the diagram on the following page and answer the questions.
During the formation of earth, the materials that make up the earth were very hot and molten.
These materials separated because of their differences in density and formed different, distinct
layers.
At the very center of the earth is the inner core. It is made of iron and nickel and is about 800
miles thick. The pressure at the center is incredibly high, and the temperature could be as hot as
the Sun, maybe even around 5500 ºC (9900 ºF). even though the temperature is so high, the core
is solid; it has not melted. The pressure is so great that the iron and nickel cannot melt. Use
yellow to color the inner core. Label the inner core.
Above the inner core lies the outer core, about 1400 miles thick. The pressure is very high here,
and the temperature is around 3500 ºC (6300 ºF). the outer core is made of iron and nickel that
have melted, forming a dense liquid. Color the outer core orange. Label the outer core.
The mantle is above the outer core and forms about 1/3 of the Earth’s mass. It is about 1800
miles thick. The temperature and pressure decrease as you go from the innermost to the
outermost part of the mantle. The mantle itself is divided into two parts that you will color
separately. The inner part of the mantle is simply called the mantle; the outer part of the mantle
is called the asthenosphere. Both layers make up the mantle, but the difference between one and
the other is that the rock in the asthenosphere is softer than the rock in the mantle. The rock in
the asthenosphere can even flow like a very thick soup. Color the mantle red and the
asthenosphere pink. Label the mantle and the asthenosphere.
Floating on top of the asthenosphere is a thin layer called the lithosphere. This layer is made of
solid rock. Some scientists say that the lithosphere is part of the crust, others say that the
lithosphere is actually part of the mantle. It makes no difference. Color the lithosphere brown.
On top of the lithosphere is the crust. The crust can be two types: if it has a continent on it, we
call it continental crust. Both types of crust are made up of rock. Continental crust is made up of
granite. The thickness of the continental crust varies from 5-25 miles. In places with mountains
the crust is thicker. If the crust is beneath the ocean or a sea, we call it oceanic crust. This type
of crust is usually 3/5 miles thick and is made of basalt. Color the oceanic crust black, the
continental crust green and the oceans blue. Label the oceanic crust, continental crust and the
ocean.
Questions:
1. What is the temperature of each layer? Inner core ___________ outer core __________
2. What is each layer made of? Inner core _____________ Outer core ________________
Mantle _____________ Asthenosphere _______________
Oceanic crust ______________ Continental Crust ________________
3. In which layer do the rocks flow like soup? _________________________
4. What is the outer part of the mantle called? ________________________
5. Why does the Earth have layers?
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6. What is one difference between oceanic and continental crust.
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7. The inner core of earth is the hottest layer, why isn’t the metal in the inner core molten?
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