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 1/3 of the earth’s mass 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