Domine, Eunice B.

INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH Compositional/Chemical Layering

November 29, 2013 NatSci 1 2:35-4:00 MWF

Core Mantle

Made of iron with minor amounts of nickel, and lies at the center of the earth. Made of iron-magnesium silicates and surrounds the core. The mantle makes up the bulk of the earth. Occurs as two distinct types, oceanic crust and continental crust. Both types of crust are lighter (less dense) and contain more silica than the mantle. The crust that underlies most of the areas we call "oceans" it is thinner, is denser, and contains less silica and aluminum and more magnesium and iron than continental crust. Thicker and made of less dense material than the oceanic crust, it "floats" higher on the earth.

Crust

Oceanic Crust

Continental Crust

Physical Layering

Inner Core

The central part of the iron-nickel core. It is a solid iron sphere. The reason that the iron is solid is that the pressure at the center of the earth is significantly higher than the pressure above, while the temperature is only slightly higher. Constitutes the remainder of the iron-nickel core and is liquid. It is liquid because the pressure is lower. The majority of the mantle from the core-mantle boundary is solid and is called the mesosphere. Nearer to the surface of the earth the temperature is still relatively high but the pressure is greatly reduced. This creates a situation where the mantle is partially melted. The asthenosphere is a plastic solid in that it flows over time.

Outer Core

Mesosphere

Asthenosphere

Lithosphere

Above the asthenosphere, the temperature begins to drop more rapidly. This creates a layer of cool, rigid rock called the lithosphere. The lithosphere includes the uppermost part of the mantle and it also includes all of the crust. That is, the crust is the upper part of the lithosphere, and the upper mantle is the lower part of the lithosphere.