Earth, Internal Structure of the

Earth and Deformation of the

Crust

Prepared by:
Edrick R. Pascual, LPT
Learning Competencies

The Learners should be able to……

 describe the internal structure of the Earth;

 describe the different types of plate

boundaries;

 describe the possible causes of plate

movement;
Learning Competencies

 explain the different processes that occur

along the plate boundaries;

 describe the distribution of active volcanoes,

earthquake epicenters, and major mountain
belts;

 enumerate the lines of evidence that support

plate movement.
Layer’s of the Earth
 The earth is
divided into 4
major layers,
each with
distinct
properties- the
crust, the
mantle, the
outer core and
in inner core.
Layer’s of the Earth
 The crust and the
uppermost layer of the
mantle comprises the
lithosphere, a rigid layer
that can break under
stress.

 The crust is composed of

major and minor blocks of
rocks, which we refer to
as tectonic plates found
on the lithosphere.
Layer’s of the Earth
 Below the lithosphere
is the asthenosphere,
which is about 180 km
thick and contains
magma.

 The asthenosphere can

deform and reshape
under the heat from
the magma.
Layer’s of the Earth
 Heat energy circulates as
convection currents,
travelling upward from
the hot inner mantle to
the cooler outer mantle.

 This heat transfer

mechanism helps drive
the movement of
tectonic plates, which is
manifested as
earthquakes.
Layer’s of the Earth

 These movements can

help form mountains,
volcanoes, island,
trenches and mid-ocean
ridges.
Crust
• Outermost layer of
the Earth.

•Its made up of
continental crust
and oceanic crust.

•It is the thinnest

layer of the Earth,
and comprises of
only 1 % of the
Earth’s total mass.
Continental Crust
 The crust that makes
up the continents is
called the
continental crust
and is about 40-70
km thick.

 It is made up of less
dense granitic
rocks.
Oceanic Crust
 The crust that
underlies the ocean
floor is called the
oceanic crust, which
has an average
thickness of 5 km.

 It is made up of
denser granitic
rocks.
Mantle

 A semisolid, rocky and

very hot layer called
mantle.

 Measuring about 2,900

km thick.

 It is composed of ferro-
magnesium silicate rocks.
Mantle

 Its top layer has a

temperature of
about 900 °C.

 As one goes deeper

into the mantle,
the temperature
increases from
1,000 °C to 3,700
°C.
Core
 Is divided into two layers:

 The outer core, which is

located below the mantle. It is
about 2,270 km thick and has
a temperature that ranges
from 3, 700 °C to 4,300 °C

 The inner core, which is

located below the outer core,
which is a solid center of the
planet. It has a diameter of
about 1,220 km and
temperature of about 6,000
°C.
Interfaces between layers

 Mohorovicic
discontinuity,
also known as
moho, is the
interface
between the
crust and the
mantle.
Interfaces between layers

 The Gutenberg
discontinuity
marks the
boundary
between the
mantle and
outer core.
Interfaces between layers

 The Lehmann
discontinuity,
is located
between the
liquid outer
core and the
solid inner
core.
Mapping the Inner Earth
 Scientist learned
more about the
inner earth, by
examining the waves
of energy called
seismic waves,
which travel through
the planet when an
earthquake occurs.
Two types of Seismic Waves
Body Waves Surface Waves
 Body Waves
P Waves S Waves
P Waves
 Also known as Primary
waves.

 Are the first to be felt on the

Earth’s surface.

 They travel at speeds

between 1.5 and 8 km/ s.

 Pass through solid sections of

the Earth but are refracted
when they travel through
liquids.
S Waves
 Also known as
Secondary waves.

 Do not travel through

liquids.

 The S waves travel

about 60% to 70%
more slowly than the
P waves.
 Surface Waves
Love Waves Rayleigh Waves
Love Waves
 Are the fastest
type of surface
waves and move
the ground side
by side.

 Causes the
ground to move
back and forth in
a snake-like
movement.
Rayleigh Waves
 Move in a circular
manner, similar to
rolling on the ground
and cause buildings to
heave up and down
and side to side.

 With their rolling

circular motion under
the ground, account
for the greater
devastation during
earthquake.
Pangaea: The Super Continent
Continental Drift Theory

 The theory
proposed by
German scientist
Alfred Wegener
in the early
1990s.
Evidences

 The continental jigsaw puzzle

 Evidence from fossils
 Evidence from rocks
 Coal Deposits
The Continental Jigsaw Puzzle
 The most visible
and fascinating
evidence that
these continents
were once one is
their shapes.

 The edge of one

continent
surprisingly
matches the edge
of another.
Evidence from Fossils

 Glossopteris

 Mesosaurus

 Lystosaurus
Evidence from Rocks
 Some mountains are
folded mountains
formed from rocks in
Earth’s crust that
have been crumpled
by forces within
Earth.

 These mountains
made of folded rocks
of the same age and
type have been found
across different
places.
Coal Deposits
 Coal beds were
formed from the
compaction and
decomposition of
swamp plants that
lived million years
ago

 How is a coal bed

formation possible in
Antarctica?
Mechanism of Plate Movements

 Driving Forces – push plates toward each

other or pull them apart.

 Resisting Forces – act against the driving

forces.
Mantle Convection

 Heat in the core

rises toward
the mantle,
increasing its
kinetic energy
and causing it
to expand and
spread out
beneath plates.
Slab Pull
 Takes place
when a
subducting slab
sinks into the
hot mantle
because of a
difference in
temperature
Seafloor Spreading Theory

 Proposed by an
American
geologist,
professor, and
military officer
Harry Hess in
the 1960s.
Seafloor Spreading Theory

 According to this
theory, hot, less
dense material
from below the
Earth’s crust rises
towards the
surface at the
mid-ocean ridge.
Seafloor Spreading Theory
 This material flows
sideways carrying the
seafloor away from
the ridge, and creates
a crack in the crust.

 The magma flows out

of the crack, cools
down and becomes
the new seafloor.
Findings that support Seafloor
Spreading Theory:

 Rocks are younger at the mid-ocean ridge.

 Rocks far from the mid-ocean ridge are older.

 Sediments are thinner at the ridge.

 Rocks at the ocean floor are younger than

those at the continents.
Plate Tectonic Theory
 The plates tectonic
theory provided an
explanation about the
movement of the
lithospheric plates.

 This theory evolve

from the two former
theories and was
developed during the
first decades of the
20th century.
Plate Tectonic Theory

 According to the
theory of plate
tectonics, the
lithosphere is
made up of
plates that are
continually
moving.
 Plates
Continental Oceanic
 Plates under  Below the ocean.
landmasses.

 Thicker but  Thinner but

lighter. heavier.

 Granite (granitic  Basalt (Basaltic

rocks) rocks)
 Plate Boundaries and Interactions
Divergent Convergent Transform
 Two plates  Two plates move  Two plates
move and slide toward slip past one
each other.
away from another.
each other.  Forming either a
 Formation subduction zone or  No mountain
of ocean. an orogenic belt. or volcanoes
 Separation
 Formation of
produce.
of two trenches, volcanic
 Producing
continents. and non-volcanic
mountain ranges. earthquakes.
Divergent Plate Boundary

 Two plates that move away

from each other create a
gap or a rift between them.

 Divergent boundaries
between oceanic plates
produce mid-ocean ridges,
which refer to mountain
ranges under water.

 If there are two continents

located on these plates,
 Convergent Plate Boundary
Oceanic- Oceanic- Continental-
oceanic continental continental
 Subduction   No
Oceanic
zone is plate subduction
formed. subducts happens.
beneath the
 Creating  Creating
continental
chain of plate, towering
volcanoes. possibly mountain
forming a ranges.
trench.
Oceanic- Oceanic
Oceanic- Continental
Continental- Continental
Transform Plate Boundary
 The plates slide against
each other in opposite
direction.

 No mountains or
volcanoes produced.

 Instead, earthquakes
result from the
movement of plates,
and release a massive
amounts of energy.
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

The learners shall be able to:

 demonstrate ways to ensure disaster

preparedness during earthquakes, tsunamis,
and volcanic eruptions

 suggest ways by which he/she can contribute to

government efforts in reducing damage due to
earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions
Performance Task

 Goal: The Goal is to launch a campaign that is

focused on creating awareness and
preparedness during geological events.

 Role: You can either be a:

a. film maker
b. web designer
c. visual artist
 Performance Task
 Audience: Audience for this activity shall be composed of the high
school students particularly those who enrolled under
environmental, earth, earth and life sciences.

 Situation: In 2013, a total of 1,193 earthquakes with a magnitude

ranging from 5-9.9 were recorded in the world history. The quake in
Bohol which occurred last October 15 ranked 2 nd place in terms of
death toll. Some analysts’ state that contributes to the numbers of
fatalities during natural calamities is the lack of knowledge on
disaster preparedness among Filipinos. To this concern, your school
will be holding a one day art festival to demonstrate understanding
of plate tectonics at the same time to ensure disaster preparedness
during earth quakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.
 
 Performance Task
 Product performance/performance: Your task is gather material
(photographs, video clips) and information about major geological
events which occurred in 2013 it is a must that you include in your
material the steps to be under taken to ensure preparedness during the
said calamities. You may create of these products:
 Product 1: A short teledrama that re-enacts the darkest hours of the
Filipinos during the earth quakes in Bohol. Historical structures damage
by the event should be enumerated and presented.
 Product 2: A PowerPoint presentation about japans journey after it was
hit by a tsunami the location of Japan and the frequency of earth
quakes in its boundaries should be given importance during film
making.
 Product 3: A visual presentation (photos essay paintings etc) depicting
the impacts of volcanic eruption in a province or country of your choice.
Performance Task
 Standards: Your product/performance will be evaluated
based on criteria:

 Concept

 Script/story board

 Content/organization

 Quality

 teamwork