Download Inside the Earth - Londonderry NH School District

Layers of the Earth
Composition (What it is made of)
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Inner Core
Outer Core
Mantle
Crust
The Inner Core
•Solid ball due to high
pressure (most dense layer)
•1540 miles across
•3700°C = VERY HOT!
•Iron and nickel
•Intense pressure keeps it
from liquefying
The Outer Core
•Dense liquid molten rock
•1400 miles thick
•Mainly iron and nickel
•Some silicon
•Between mantel and inner core
•Gives Earth its magnetic field
The Mantle
• Parts are semimolten (silly putty)
• 1800 miles thick
• Mantle rock is more
dense than crustal
rock
• Flows in sluggish
currents
• Between crust and
outer core
The Crust
• Earth’s outer rocky surface
• 4 miles thick under oceans
• Up to 40 miles thick under
mountain ranges
• Consists of mostly “light” rocks
(granite – below continents)
(basalt – below oceans)
• Oceans cover 71% of the crust (very
dense)
• Continental (less dense)*
* add on notes
Oceanic and Continental Crust
Tectonic Plates
• Earth’s crust is broken into about 19
pieces
• These plates move on top of the
asthenosphere
Earth’s Layers
• How are the Earth’s layers
similar to an egg?
Earth’s Layers
• How are the Earth’s
layers similar to an
egg?
• Shell=crust
• Egg white=mantle
• Yolk=core , inner &
outer core
Physical Structure of the Earth
(5 Layers)
• Lithosphere- rigid outer layer (crust)
• Asthenosphere- solid rock that flows
slowly (like hot asphalt)
• Mesosphere- middle layer
• Outer Core- liquid layer
• Inner Core- solid, very dense