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Earth's Layers

All depths are from the surface of the Earth.

The Crust--The outer skin of the planet is composed of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock.

Continental Crust: Comprised predominately of rocks most resembling granite, the continental crust is relatively thick compared to the oceanic crust with a depth that ranges from 30 km to 50 km. The average specific gravity of continental crustal rock is 2.7.

Oceanic Crust:

At an average depth of 5 km to 10 km, the oceanic crust is thinner than the continental crust. Oceanic crustal rocks are composed mainly of the igneous rocks basalt, diabase, and gabbro, which are mafic in composition. The average specific gravity of oceanic crustal rock is 2.9.

Lithosphere: See below.

The Mantle--The layer directly below the crust which is delineated from the crust by the Mohorovicic Discontinuity, where seismic waves increase in velocity. The division between the mantle and the crust is a chemical one, the rocks and constituent minerals being higher in magnesium and lower in silicon and aluminum than crustal rocks. The mantle comprises 84% of Earth's volume.

Upper Mantle: Lithosphere: The uppermost mantle consists of hard rock and is attached to the crust and comprises the lithosphere. The lithosphere is comprised of tectonic plates which 'float' independently of each other. The lithosphere contains more mantle than crust. Oceanic lithosphere ranges from 50 km to 100 km in thickness, and continental lithosphere ranges from 40 km to 200 km. Asthenosphere: Just below the lithosphere lies the asthenosphere, an area of highly viscous but solid rock. Its viscosity allow it to move slowly over time, which it does as it transfers heat to the lithosphere via convection currents. These convection currents are responsible for the movement of Earth's tectonic plates. The depth of the asthenosphere averages somewhere between 100 km and 200km with depths up to 410 km.

Transition Zone:

The depth of the transition zone is between 410 km and 660 km. The rock here is mostly peridotite, a coarse grained igneous rock, kept from melting by extremely high lithostatic temperatures. Temperatures in the transition zone range from 1400 degrees C to 1600 degrees C.

The Lower Mantle:

The depth of the lower mantle ranges from 670 km to 2798 km. Little is known about the lower mantle other than that seismic waves indicate it is fairly homogenous in lithology.

D'':

The D'' area of the mantle extends from 2798 km to 2900 km, which is the boundary between the mantle and the liquid outer core. At this level, the pressures are enormous, roughly equal to 1.4 million units of atmospheric pressure, and temperatures are over 4,000 degrees C.

The Outer Core:

The outer core lies at a depth from 2900 km to 5150 km. It's composed of liquid iron and nickel along with small amounts of lighter elements, with temperatures ranging from 4,000 degrees C to 6,100 degrees C near the boundary with the inner core.

The Inner Core:

From the boundary with the outer core to the center of the Earth, a distance of about 1220 km is the solid sphere of the inner core, a ball of incredibly hot iron-nickel alloy. Temperatures here reach between 5,000 and 7,000 degrees C, and pressures are calculated to be around 3,000,000 units of atmospheric pressure. Despite the high temperature, at these pressures the metals cannot remain molten.
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15y ago
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4mo ago

Earth's interior consists of several layers: the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust. The inner core is solid iron and nickel, the outer core is liquid iron and nickel, the mantle is mostly solid rock, and the crust is the outermost layer and consists of solid rock.

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Q: What does Earth's interior consist of?
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Why do you think scientists study earths interior?

Scientists study Earth's interior to better understand the planet's composition, structure, and dynamics. This helps in predicting natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, as well as in understanding processes like plate tectonics and magnetic field generation. Studying the Earth's interior also provides insights into the planet's history and evolution.


Which layer makes up the majority of earths interior?

The mantle is the largest layer in the Earth's interior.


Can geologists observe earths interior directly?

Geologists cannot directly observe Earth's interior. Instead, they use indirect methods such as seismic waves, gravity studies, and geothermal measurements to infer the characteristics and composition of the Earth's interior. These methods provide valuable insights into the properties of the Earth's layers without the need to physically access them.


In which region of the earths interior does the heat increase to the point that rocks begin to melt?

asthenosphere


How does the temperature of Earths crust compare to the temperature of Earth and interior?

The temperature of Earth's crust is much lower than the temperature of Earth's interior. The temperature of Earth's crust generally ranges from about 0°C to 30°C, while the temperature of Earth's interior can reach thousands of degrees Celsius in the mantle and core. The higher temperatures in the interior are due to the heat generated by radioactive decay and leftover heat from Earth's formation.

Related questions

Is earths interior hot or cold?

The earths interior is cold


What does earths lithosphere consist of?

pie is awsome


What is the seismic wave that travel's through the earths interior?

A body wave is a seismic wave that travels through Earths interior.


What does the Earths crust mostly consist of?

Igneous rock.


How does temperature of earths crust compare to the temperature of earths interior?

it depends on the deepth


Is powered by energy from the earths interior?

Volcanoes


Which is powered by engery from earths interior?

Volcanoes


What happens in earths interior to produce earths magnetic?

The movements in the liquid inner core.


What happens in earths interior produce earths magnetic field?

The movements in the liquid inner core.


What does the shadow zone tell you about earths interior?

SFGSGFGFHXGFH


Which scientist studies earths interior?

isaac newton


Do geologists learn about earths interior by drilling holes?

No