Bell Ringer Give at least one important characteristic of each of the four main layers of Earth. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Earth’s Interior Earth’s interior is made up of several distinct compositional layers.

Crust Coolest Layer Hard, solid rock 1% of Earth’s mass Thin Continental crust is thicker and less dense than oceanic crust.

Mantle Lies beneath the crust More dense than crust 80% of Earth’s volume Magnesium, silicon, iron, and oxygen

Core Iron and nickel 2 Layers Outer Core- liquid metal Inner Core- solid metal

Feeling HOT, HOT, HOT One reason why scientists think the interior is so hot is because of radioactivity. Radioactive isotopes in Earths core decay and release energy in the form of heat.

Plate Tectonics Alfred Wegener hypothesized that all of the continents might have been part of one landmass in the past before they drifted apart. He pieced the continents together to form a super continent called Pangaea.

Alfred Wegener Use your laptops to research Alfred Wegener. Where is he from? When did he live? Where did he attend school? What was his career? What did he propose? What was his evidence?