Download What Is Inside the Earth? - Earth Science with Mrs. Wilson

Warm Up

Film Canister: Try to determine what is in
your film canister without opening it.
Make observations about what it looks like
on the outside and observations
(remember sight is not the only sense we
can use to make an observation) about
what is in the inside. Write your
observations in your notebook, and also
give your hypothesis for what is inside.
Before Looking Inside . . .
Let’s observe the outside of the Earth.
 Scientists like to divide the Earth into four
spheres.

Litho – Latin for rock
Gas envelope around the earth
http://www.kidsgeo.com/
Water parts of the earth
Lake Lanier
http://www.jackboulware.com
http://www.drewsview.com
Bio means living!
www.georgeledger.co.uk
http://www.cyclura.info/
What Is Inside the
Earth?
Going Deep
The deepest mine on the Earth is 3.8 km
deep – but it only scratches the surface!
 So, if we can’t observe the center of the
Earth directly, what can we do?

Finding Indirect Evidence
The interior of the Earth cannot be
observed directly.
 Seismic Waves (the waves of an
earthquake) are used to learn about the
interior of the Earth.

Journey to the Center of the Earth
Temperature
increases as you
move towards Earth’s
center.
 Pressure increases as
you move towards
Earth’s center.
www.phsuccessnet.com

The Earth’s Layers

Crust
– The layer of rock that
forms Earth’s outer
skin
– It is solid and ranges
in depth from 5-40 km
thick.
– It is primarily made up
of the rocks granite
and basalt
www.phsuccessnet.com
The Earth’s Layers

Mantle
– A solid layer of material – hot rock
– Lithosphere – made up of the upper mantle
and the crust
– Asthenosphere – a soft layer of the mantle
that can bend like plastic
– The lithosphere floats on the asthenosphere
– Solid mantle – extends to the core
– The mantle is 2,900 km thick
The Earth’s Layers

Outer Core
– Made up of iron and nickel
– It is a layer of molten (liquid) metal that
surrounds the inner core
– The outer core is 2,250 km thick
The Earth’s Layers

Inner Core
– It is a dense ball of solid metal
– It is also made up of iron and nickel
– The inner core is 1,200 km thick
– The inner and outer core together are just
slightly smaller than the moon
– Currents in the outer core cause the inner
core to spin slightly faster than the rest of the
Earth; the result is the Earth’s magnetic field
Summary Activity – Choose One

Option One:
– Draw, label, and color
the layers of the Earth
as shown on page
– Make sure to label
each layer including
the lithosphere and
asthenosphere, as well
as the depth of each
layer

Option Two
– Write a story about a
journey to the center
of the Earth
– Be sure to include
information about
each layer you pass
through, including the
lithosphere and
asthenosphere, as well
as the depth of each
layer