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Inside the Earth
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There are 2 ways to divide the layers of the earth.....
Physical layers Compositional layers
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Earth’s Interior Earth’s interior is divided into layers: the crust, mantle, & core, based on composition. Although the Earth’s crust seem stable, the extreme heat of the Earth’s interior causes changes that slowly reshape the surface.
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Composition Layers Crust Mantle Core
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The Crust Outermost layer of earth made of rock that forms earth’s outer skin 5 to 100 km thick, average thickness is 35 km thinnest layer less than 1% of Earth’s mass Most of composition of crust: oxygen, silicon, and aluminum
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The Crust Oceanic Crust Continental Crust crust beneath the oceans
consist mainly of dense rock (basalt - dark in color) 5-8 km thick Continental Crust crust that forms the continents consist mainly of less dense rock (granite - lighter in color) 30 km average thickness
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The Mantle layer of rock between crust and core
2900km thick, 67% of Earth’s mass Magma from volcanoes comes from mantle Composition - silicon, oxygen, iron and magnesium physical conditions in mantle change because pressure and temperature increase with depth temp ranges from 870 ºC to 2,200ºC
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What happens in the Mantle?
Convections Currents! Hot columns of mantle material rise slowly through the asthenosphere
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The Core Innermost layer of the Earth
6800 km in diameter (3,400 km from outside edge of core to center of core) 1/3 of Earth’s mass, 15% of its volume Temperature ranges from 2,000 ºC to 5,000ºC Consist of 2 parts; Inner Core and Outer Core
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Physical Layers
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Lithosphere The upper part of the mantle (upper part does not flow like the lower part) and the crust together form a rigid layer called the lithosphere. Lithos is greek for stone, 100 km thick Made of tectonic plates
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Asthenosphere The asthenosphere is a soft layer of the mantle on which pieces of the lithosphere move. 250 km thick asthenes is Greek for soft or weak Rock that is semi solid, plasticky, kind of the consistency of peanut butter. Heat travels by convection currents
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Mesosphere The mesosphere is located in the lower mantle.
It is completely solid 2,550 km thick
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Outer Core/Inner Core Outer Core Inner Core
layer of molten metal (iron and nickel) beneath the mantle surrounds the inner core 2,200 km thick Inner Core dense ball of solid metal (iron and nickel) extreme pressure from layers above 1200 km, from outside edge of inner core to center
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Tectonic Plates The tectonic plates are pieces of the lithosphere that fit like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and move on top of the asthenosphere May Consist of both Continental and Oceanic Crust
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Density and Earth Layers
Atmosphere: .001g/cm^3 Water: 1.0g/cm^3 Crust: g/cm^3 Mantle: 3-9 g/cm^3 Core: 9-13 g/cm^3
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How do scientists know about the inside of the earth?
Seismic waves
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The End
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