Download Earth`s Interior

The Earth’s Interior
and how it works.
The 3 Main Layers
• Core
• Inner Core
• Outer Core
• Mantle
• Mesosphere
• Asthenosphere
• Lithosphere
• Uppermost mantle
• Crust
The Core
• Metallic - Fe & Ni.
• Inner core
(Solid)
• Outer core
(Molten)
• The internal source
of heat energy for
the Earth.
The Mantle
• The broad middle
section of the
Earth. (Rocky)
• Asthenosphere
contains the
convection
currents that drive
the “plates”.
(Plastic)
Mesosphere
What are Convection Currents?
• Convection occurs in
the asthenosphere due
to the heat from the
core.
• Remember hot = less
dense therefore rises
and cooler = more
dense therefore sinks.
The Lithosphere
• The “Plates” (Rocky)
• Consists of the crust
and the uppermost
mantle. (Solid)
• Each plate moves as
one section of the
Earth on top of the
asthenosphere.
Uppermost
Mantle
Types of Crust
Continental Crust
Thickest at the highest mountains
Made up of sedimentary and
metamorphic rock.
Oceanic Crust
Thinnest in the deepest ocean.
Made up of igneous rock.
The “Plates”
How the Layers of the Earth
Work Together
Heat energy from the CORE
is transferred into mechanical energy in the
ASTHENOSPHERE
Which drives the plates – the LITHOSPHERE.
PLATE TECTONICS
PLATE TECTONICS
• Plate movement which gives us volcanoes, earthquakes,
mountains, rift zones, or any combination of these.
Plate Tectonics & Rocks
• Pressures high enough to change the
crystalline structure of rock result in
metamorphic processes.
• Metamorphic rock.
• Temperatures high enough to melt rock
result in magma and igneous processes.
• Igneous rock.
The External Processes
and how they work.
• Heat energy from the
sun is converted to
mechanical energy in
the atmosphere.
• The result is the
hydrologic cycle.
The External Processes
• The water cycle and
gravity provide the
mechanisms for the
tearing down of the earth.
• The resulting processes
are weathering and
erosion.
• The result is sediment and
sedimentary rock.
The Great Earth/Rock Cycle
Deposition &
Lithification
Sediment
Weathering & Erosion
Sedimentary
Rock
Extreme
Temperature and
Pressure
Metamorphic
Rock
Igneous Rock
Eruption/Cooling
Extreme Temperatures/
Melting
MAGMA