1. Section 1: Earth’s Interior Who Studies Earth’s Interior?
Geologists
Scientists who study the forces that make and shape planet Earth.
They study the processes that create Earth’s features and search for clues about Earth’s history.

2. What kind of evidence do scientists use to learn about the interior of the earth?
Direct vs. Indirect
Direct evidence: from rock samples. Scientists drill up to 12 km into the earth. Forces blast rock from as deep as 100 km.
Indirect evidence: from seismic waves

3. How do scientists study the Earth?
To reach the Earth’s core you would have to travel over 6,000 km (3,728 miles)!
Scientists record Seismic Waves – a vibration that travels through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake
Types of seismic waves –
P waves – travel through crust (6km/sec) and mantle (8km/sec)
S waves – will not travel through liquid

4. What is the Earth’s structure?
The Crust
The Mantle
Lithosphere
Asthenosphere
The Core
Outer Core
Inner Core
                                                    

5. What is the structure of the crust?
A layer of rock that forms the Earth’s outer skin including the rock under the ocean
Two types of crust:
Continental Crust
Granite – less dense crust
Oceanic Crust
Basalt – more dense rock

6. What is the structure of the mantle?
Two major parts:
Lithosphere – upper part of crust and mantle together; floats on top of the asthenosphere
Asthenosphere – softer than the mantle due to increasing temperature and pressure
The mantle is nearly 3,000 kilometers thick! (1,864 miles)

7. What is the structure of the core?
Two parts
Outer Core – liquid; behaves like a thick liquid; forces the solid inner core to spin causing Earth’s magnetic field
Inner Core – solid; extreme pressure squeezes the atoms of iron and nickel so that they cannot spread out to become liquid
Inner core and outer core are just slightly smaller than the moon

8. Chemical Layers
Physical Layers

9. Section 2: Convection and the Mantle How does Heat transfer?
Radiation – heat transfer through empty space; ex. sunlight
Conduction – heat transfer through direct contact
Convection- heat transfer by movement of heated fluids

10. How do convection currents affect the Earth?
Heating and cooling a fluid changes its density; warmer fluids have a lower density and float; colder fluids have a higher density and sink

11. Section 3: Drifting Continents Were the continents once together?
Alfred Wegener hypothesized that all the continents had moved from a supercontinent known as Pangaea.

12. What is the evidence for Wegener’s idea?
Evidence of Continental Drift:
Landforms – similar mountain ranges
Fossils – similar fossils of a fernlike plant existed on both continents
Climate – tropical pl ant fossils found in cold climates

13. Section 4: Sea-Floor Spreading What is happening in the ocean?
Using sonar scientists discovered mountains under the ocean
The longest chain of mountains in the world is under the ocean and is known as the Mid- Ocean ridge!

14. Side-scan sonar locates missing plane Courtesy of NOAA.
Side-scan sonar image of the remains of the submarine USS O-9 (SS-70) off the Isle of Shoals, New Hampshire in more than 400 feet of water. Courtesy of NOAA.
Side-scan sonar locates missing plane Courtesy of NOAA.

15. What is sea-floor spreading?
Harry Hess suggested that at the mid-ocean ridge molten material rises from the mantle and erupts; pushing older rock to both sides
This process is known as sea-floor spreading!

16. What is the evidence for Sea-floor spreading?
Evidence from Molten Material
Evidence from Magnetic Strips
Evidence from Drilling Samples

17. How can the ocean floor keep from getting wider and wider?
The older ocean floor plunges into deep-ocean trenches in a process known as subduction
Sea-floor spreading and subduction work together like a giant conveyer belt!

18. Section 5: What is the theory of plate tectonics?
The Earth’s lithosphere is cracked into separate sections known as plates
Geological theory states that these plates are in constant, slow motion, driven by the convection currents in the mantle

19. How is the theory of plate tectonics different from continental drift?
Continental drift is based on the movement of the continents DUE to plate tectonics
Continents are NOT the same as plates
Tectonic plates can be made up of both oceanic crust and continental crust

20. What happens where the plates meet?
Plate Boundaries – where the edges of the lithosphere meet; faults form along these boundaries:
Transform
Divergent
Convergent

21. What are Transform boundaries?
The place where two plates slip past each other, moving in opposite directions
Earthquakes occur frequently at these boundaries

22. What are Divergent Boundaries?
The place where two plates move apart, or diverge and create a rift valley
Most occur at the mid-ocean ridge although some can occur on land

23. What are Convergent boundaries?
The place where two plates come together, or converge creating a collision
Subduction occurs at convergent boundaries
The density of the crust determines which crust will be on top – if both plates are the same density they form a mountain range