THE LAYERS OF THE EARTH

1. Crust
 Thinnest layer of the Earth that ranges from only 2 miles in some areas of the ocean floor to 75 miles deep
under mountains.
 Made up of large amounts of silicon and aluminum.
 Two types of crust: oceanic crust and continental crust.
 Composed of plates on which the continents and oceans crest.

The lithosphere (crust and upper mantle) is divided into separate plates which move very slowly in response to the
“convecting” part of the mantle.
Two Layers of Crust:

a. Sial – (Si - Silicon and Al - Aluminum) the upper layer of the crust.

b. Sima – (Si - Silicon and Ma – Magnesium (Mg)) the lower layer of the crust.

Two Types of Crust:

a. Continental Crust – composed of granitic rock.

b. Oceanic Crust – composed of dark igneous rock basalt.

 Asthenosphere – the rock layer below the crust which is the source of volcanic magma.

 Mohorovicic Discontinuity – (Moho) separating the crust and the mantle. This is discovered by Andrija
Mohorovicic in 1909.

2. Mantle – the interior region of the Earth between the crust and the core. It is composed of dense, coarse-
grained igneous rock which is richer in the magnesium, and iron.

 Solid but capable of flow (like hot asphalt or fudge.

Thickest layer of the Earth (making up 70% of the Earth’s mass)

 It is composed of dense, coarse-grained igneous rock which is richer in the magnesium, and iron.

 The mantle is the largest layer of the Earth.

 It is made of hot, dense rock. The rock in the mantle flows like asphalt because of the temperature
differences found in the mantle.

 The hot material (magma) in the mantle rises to the top of the mantle, cools, then sinks, reheats, and
rises again. These convection currents cause changes in the Earth’s surface
  The movement of the mantle create the movement of the Earth’s plates.

 Gutenberg Discontinuity – separating the mantle and the core. This is discovered by Beno Gutenberg in 1914.

3. Core – composed of iron-nickel alloy with minor amounts of oxygen, silicon, and sulfur that is readily form
compounds with iron.

Two Regions of Core:

a. Outer Core – is a liquid layer. It is the movement of this zone that generates of Earth’s magnetic field.

 It is a liquid layer. It is the movement of this zone that generates of Earth’s magnetic field.

 Molten (liquid) metal that is about 4,700°C (8,500°F)

 Located about 1,800 miles beneath the crust and is about 1,400 miles thick.

 Composed of the melted metals nickel and iron.

b. Inner Core – is a sphere. The iron in this region is solid due to immense pressures that exist in the center of the
planet.

 Solid sphere composed mostly of iron.

 It is believed to be as hot as 6,650°C (12,000°F).

 Solid sphere composed mostly of iron.

 It is believed to be as hot as 6,650°C (12,000°F).

Temperature Increases as Depth Increases