Download Inside the Earth

Inside the Earth
The Geosphere
Composition (What it is made of)
• Crust
• Mantle
• Core
– Inner
– Outer
The Crust
• Outer layer
• 1% of Earth’s mass
• 5-100 km thick (2 – 25
miles)
– Equal to a piece of paper on
a basketball
• 871 C (1600˚ F)
• 2 types of crust
– Oceanic (very dense, made
of basalt)
– Continental (less dense,
made of granite)
Oceanic and Continental Crust
The Mantle
• Middle layer
• 2880 km thick
layer (1800 mi)
• Up to 4426 C
(8000 ˚ F)
The Core
• Made mostly of iron
and nickel
– Outer core
• 2240 km thick (1400 mi)
• 6093 C (11,000 ˚ F)
• Movement is source of
Earth’s magnetic field
– Inner core
• solid
• 1280 km thick (800 mi)
• 7204 C (13,000 ˚ F)
• 1/3 of the earth’s mass
Earth’s Layers
• How are the earth’s
layers similar to an
egg?
• Shell=crust
• Egg white=mantle
• Yolk=core
Physical Structure of the Earth
(5 Layers)
• Lithosphere- rigid outer layer (crust)
• Asthenosphere- upper layer of mantle,
solid rock that flows slowly (like hot
asphalt)
• Mesosphere- lower layer of mantle
• Outer Core- liquid layer
• Inner Core- solid, very dense
Tectonic Plates
• Earth’s crust is broken into about 19
pieces called tectonic plates
• These plates move on top of the
asthenosphere