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EARTH’S INTERIOR Name _______________________________________________ Hour _____ The Layers of the Earth The earth is made up of four different layers. If you are wondering why it has that many layers this is because of its history. There are many historians and geologists that believe the earth wasn’t always made up for four layers. Instead, they believe that as the earth cooled rapidly, the heavier parts of the earth sank inside of the world and the lighter, more dense materials moved into the middle of the world. Therefore, the lightest materials of all rose to the top. This explains why things like rock are on the surface of the earth and the much heavier things like iron are located in the earth’s core. The four layers of the earth are: The Crust – the part of the earth that you live on The Mantle – a hot area that has the ability to flow (think of lava) The Outer Core – the heaviest parts of earth in a hot liquid state The Inner Core – the heaviest parts of earth in a solid state Based on the reading above, label the 4 layers of the earth below. The crust of the earth is about 5 miles thick under oceanic crust and 25 miles thick under the continental crust. This means that under water (oceans) the layer of the earth goes five miles and under solid ground it goes further at twenty-five miles. The crust is broken into many different parts called plates. These plates are located below the actual crust on a soft area known as a mantle. The plates float on the mantle which allows them to move. The crust of the earth is made of rock. The Mantle is the largest layer of the earth at 1,800 miles thick. It is made up of extremely hot rock. The plates under the crust of the earth move because the mantle moves. The mantle is so dense that the plates drift along on top similar to how oil might float on top of water. Some scientists believe the flowing occurs due to convection currents. Convection currents are caused by hot material in the bottom of the mantle rising up, cooling, and sinking to the bottom again. As it gets to the bottom it again becomes hot and repeats the process continually. This current is able to move the plates of the crust as well. The top of the outer core is 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit but the deeper you go into the core, the hotter it will become. At its hottest point the outer core will reach a temperature of 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This layer of the earth is so hot that the entire layer is layer of liquids. The outer core is a total of 1,400 miles thick and 1,800 miles beneath the top layer of the crust. This area of the earth is comprised specifically of melted nickel and iron. The inner core is the final layer of the earth. This layer of the earth has a temperature so high that metals are put together and cannot move like liquid does but instead they vibrate and work as a solid. The inner core can be found 4,000 miles under the crust. This layer of the earth is approximately 800 miles thick. The highest temperature for this layer will be found in the deepest section of the layer and will reach 9,000 degrees. The pressure for this layer is an amazing 45,000,000 pounds for square inch. To get a better understanding of what that means it is 3,000,000 times more than the air pressure you are used to. Questions: 1. How many layers of the earth are there? ___________ 2. What is the highest temperature level reached on the earth’s core? ______________ True or False 3. 4. 5. 6. The outer core is all liquid gases. __________ The Inner Core is between the Mantle and the Crust. _________ The plates under the crust are able to move because the mantle is made of liquid. _____ Convections currents move the plates of the earth. _______