What is Inside the Earth?

Digging into Earth’s StructureEarth Structure Layer Notes

Direct Evidenceof Earth Structure

Geologists use ________ _________________. Scientists have drilled

holes ____ km into the Earth to bring up _______________ samples.

Indirect Evidenceof Earth Structure

Geologists use __________________ _____________ . The

________________ and _______________ they take reveal the

___________________ of Earth.

The Crust The crust is a layer of rock that forms Earth’s _____________

________. It is ___________ ___________ and consists of both dry

land and the ocean floor. The depth of this layer is between _________

and __________ km. It is thickest under ___________________ and

thinnest under _____________.

Oceanic crust is made of ________________, a dark rock with a

___________ texture. Continental crust is made of: ____________, a

light color rock with a ______________ texture.

The Mantle The mantle is a layer of ________ rock with ____ parts divided by their

physical characteristics. The _____________________ is the uppermost

part and _____ km thick. It is rigid. ______________ means “stone.”

The _____________________ is the middle layer of the mantle It is soft

like ________. ______________ means “weak” The ___________

__________ is the inner most part of the mantle. It is _________. The

depth of this layer is ___________ km.

Layers of the Mantle

Lithosphere: ___________________ part of the mantle and the crust

Asthenosphere: _______________ ____________ found below the

lithosphere that has the ability to _______________

Lower mantle: extends from the ___________________ to the

___________________ core.

Name: _________________________ Date: ______________

Outer Core

The core has _____ parts. It is made mostly of _____________ and

_____________ . The _________ core surrounds the __________ core.

It is _______________ metal. The _________ core is a

_______________ ball of _____________ metal.

The __________________ is so great that the nickel and iron cannot

spread out and become a liquid, even though the temperature is so high.

Together, the cores are about _______________ km thick. The depth of

this layer is about ____________ km below Earth’s surface (See p. 10,

Figure 5 to add up the layers). Movement in the liquid creates Earth’s

_____________________ _____________________

Inner Core

Inner and Outer Core Comparison

DifferencesInner Core Outer Core

Depth and Content of the Earth’s LayersDEPTH NAME OF LAYER CONTENTS OF

LAYERPRESSURE TEMPERATURE

15 km Crust70 km Lithosphere190 km Asthenosphere2,100 km Lower Mantle4,200 km Inner Core6,100 km Outer Core