A look inside the planet Earth Earth’s Interior A look inside the planet Earth

The Earth’s Interior Topic objectives Identify the layers of the Earth by their composition. Identify the layers of the Earth by their physical properties. Explain how scientist know about the structure of the Earth’s interior.

Think about this? Answer this question. If you tried to dig a hole to the center of the Earth, what would you expect to find? Would it be solid inside or would it be hollow? Would the materials that compose the interior of the Earth be the same throughout?

Any way you slice it… The layers of the Earth The Earth can be divided in to 3 layers. CRUST MANTLE CORE

Don’t eat the crust! The layer we live on.                                                                                                                                   Don’t eat the crust! The layer we live on. The outermost layer is the crust. It ranges in depth 5 to 100 km thick. Two types of crust exist. Continental crust Oceanic crust

A crust above the rest! Continental Crust This crust is made mostly of Oxygen, silicon and aluminum. Continental crust is thicker than Oceanic crust. Consists of the continents

Soggy Crust is no fun! Oceanic crust This crust is found on the ocean floor. This crust is thinner but denser than continental crust. This denser crust has twice as much iron, calcium & magnesium.

The Mantle The layer between the crust and the core, is much thicker than the crust and contains most of the Earth’s mass. Around 2,900 km thick. Has more magnesium and less aluminum and silicon than the crust. The mantle is more dense than the crust.

The planet’s core The center of the Earth!! The layer of the Earth that extend from the mantle to the center of the Earth. Scientists believe that the core is made of iron and small amounts of nickel. Makes up 1/3 of the Earth’s mass.

Let’s get physical !! The physical structure of the Earth. The Earth can be divided into five physical layers. Lithosphere Asthenosphere Mesosphere Outer core Inner core

The Lithosphere The outermost, rigid layer of the Earth. Made up of two parts: The crust. The rigid upper mantle. The lithosphere is divided into pieces called tectonic plates. 15-300 km

The Asthenosphere A plastic layer of the mantle on which pieces of the lithosphere move. The asthenosphere is made of solid rock that flows very slowly. 250 km thick

The Mesosphere The strong lower part of the mantle. Extends from the bottom of the asthenosphere to the Earth’s Core. 2,550 km thick.

The outer core The outer core is the liquid layer of the Earth’s core that lies beneath the mantle and surrounds the inner core. Consists of melted iron 2,200 km thick

The inner core A solid dense center of the planet that extend from the bottom of the outer core to the center of the earth. Consists of metal alloys. 1,230 km thick

How do scientist know what’s under our feet? Scientists have never seen the layers of the Earth. Earthquakes provide clues to the interior of the Earth. When an earthquake occurs, seismic waves are produced. These waves travel at different speeds through the earth. Their speed depends on the density and composition of the layers EARTHQUAKES

An in-depth review. A journey back to the center of the Earth The Earth is made up of three layers; the crust, mantle and core. The Earth is made up of 5 physical layers, what are they? Where are tectonic plates and how do they move? What is the difference between Continental crust and Oceanic crust? Knowledge about the layers of the Earth comes from the study of what natural event?