Interior of the Earth activity

A layer exists within the upper mantle, between

100-350 km from the earth’s surface, called the
asthenosphere, which consists of very dense
material. In this layer there is no change in
chemical composition, but its physical
properties change, and it can be plastically
deformed. The crust and upper part of the
mantle above the asthenosphere together form
the lithosphere. Its brittle rock is broken into a
mosaic of continental and oceanic plates, which
‘float’ on the putty-like asthenosphere.

Layer of the Earth thickness description

oceanic crust about 10km Rigid, dense rock – mainly basalt
crust continental crust 20 – 60 km A variety of rigid rock – sedimentary, igneous and
metamorphic. Less dense than ocean crust
mantle 2900 km Partly solid, partly molten, dense rocky matter.
Some plastic movement of molten rock
outer core 2270 km Very dense molten rock
iron and nickel
inner core 1300 km Extremely dense solid
(radius) rock
Annotate the diagram below to show this information on the earth. Include the depth and consistency of each layer: the core, mantle and crust, but also the
lithosphere and asthenosphere.

Figure 2.4: The structure and composition of the layers of the earth.
The earth is made up of four different layers – the inner core, the outer core, the mantle and the crust. The
core is located 2900-6400 km from the earth’s surface, and consists of very dense material which is probably
iron and nickel. The inner core is solid rock. The outer core is approximately 2000 km thick and has a similar
composition to the inner-core, but temperature and pressure are balanced so it is in a molten (liquid) state.
The mantle is located between the crust and the core. Most of it is solid rock, but a layer exists between 100-
350 km from the earth’s surface, called the asthenosphere, which consists of very dense material. In this
layer there is no change in composition from the rest of the mantle, but its consistency changes, and it can
be plastically deformed. The outermost layer, the crust, is comparatively thin. It consists of oceanic crust,
which is usually approximately 10 km thick and mainly consists of basalt (a dark and dense igneous rock).
Continental crust is thicker – between 20-60 km thick – and consists of a variety of rocks, including
sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rock; it is older and lighter than oceanic crust. The crust and upper
part of the mantle together form the lithosphere. Its brittle rock is broken into a mosaic of continental and
oceanic plates, which ‘float’ on the putty-like asthenosphere.