Earth Layers Foldable

The Layers of the Earth

The Earth is composed of three different chemical or compositional layers. ���

1.The Crust is the layer that you live

on, and it is the most widely studied and understood.

2.The Mantle is much hotter and has the ability to flow.

3. The includes an inner core and outer core. The pressures at the center of Earth is so great you would be squeezed into a ball smaller than a marble!

The Crust

The crust is made up of two rocks. 1.The continental crust is mostly granite (35-70 miles /56-113

kilometers deep). 2.The oceanic crust is basalt (about 3-6 miles /5-10 kilometers

deep). Basalt is much denser than the granite.

crust

Earth’s  Chemical  Layers  

•  The  chemicals  found  in  each  layer  allow  scien7sts  to  separate  Earth  into  3  chemical  or  composi7onal  layers.    –  Ex:  The  crust  is  made  of  silicon,  oxygen,  and  aluminum.    

Earth’s  Physical  Layers  •  Physical  proper7es  can  be  things  like  color,  texture,  and  state  of  maBer  (solid,  liquid,  gas).  

•  Earth  has  five  physical  layers.  –  Lithosphere  –  Asthenosphere  – Mesosphere  –  Outer  Core  –  Inner  Core  

The Lithosphere The crust and the upper layer of the mantle

together make up a zone of rigid, brittle rock called the Lithosphere.

The Asthenosphere

The asthenosphere is the semi-rigid part of the middle mantle that flows like hot asphalt under a heavy weight.

The Mantle The Mantle is the

largest layer of the Earth at 2900 km thick

(1800 miles).

The Middle Mantle is composed of very hot dense rock that flows.

The movement of the

middle mantle (Asthenosphere) is the reason that the crustal

plates of the Earth move.

Convection Currents •  The middle mantle

"flows" because of convection currents.

•  Convection currents are caused by the very hot material at the deepest part of the mantle rising, then cooling and sinking again.

The Outer Core The Outer Core is so

hot that the metals in it are all in the liquid state.

*4400 °C – 6100 ° C The outer core is made of the

melted metals of nickel and iron.

The outer core is 1400 miles (2300km) thick.

The Inner Core •  The inner core of the Earth has

temperatures and pressures so great that the metals are squeezed and are forced to vibrate in place like a solid.

•  Temperatures greater than 10,000 °F

•  Hotter than the surface of the sun •  Diameter of about 746 miles

(1200km)