Activity

The class will be divided in 4 groups.

•Group 1: the Crust

•Group 2: the Mantle
•Group 3: the Outer Core
•Group 4: the Inner Core
 Using the information provided and your
knowledge of the different layers of the Earth,
describe the layer assigned to your group.

1.Characteristics of the layer

2.Position/location of the layer relative to the
other layers
3.Thickness
4.Materials (elements) present
5.Significance/importance of the layer
DISCUSSION
Layers of the Earth
 Essential Question:

What give as the idea of the

different layers of the Earth?
Based on figure on
the right, the waves
bend due to change
in density of the
medium. As the
depth increases, the
density also
increases.
 Scientists gained information
about the Earth’s internal structure
by studying how seismic waves
travel through the Earth.
 Essential Question:
How do we describe the
layers of the Earth?
 The Earth can be divided into two ways, Mechanically or
Chemically.

Mechanically – or rheologically, meaning the

study of liquid states – it can be divided into
the lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesospheric
mantle, outer core, and the inner core.
 Chemically, it can be divided into the crust,
the mantle (which can be subdivided into the
upper and lower mantle), and the core –
which can also be subdivided into the outer
core, and inner core.
 Essential Question:
How are layers of the Earth
different from one another?
 The Earth is made up of 3
main layers:
Crust

Mantle

Core
 Think of the layers of the
Earth like the layers of a cake.
 Ocean Land

C ru st Contine
ntal Cru
n ic
Ocea st

Crust
Crust
Ocean Land
ic Cr ust Continent
Ocea n a l 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 rest
The Earth’s crust is like the skin of
an apple.
*Oxygen- comprises 47% of the Earth’s Crust
*Silicon- is about 28%

Silicon and Oxygen make up the compound

SILICA SiO2.
Silica is also known as quartz.
Do you know me?
 MOHOROVICIC DISCONTINUITY
or MOHO

 -Named after a Croatian seismologist

“ANDRIJA MOHOROVICIC”

 -Shows a sharp change in the composition of

the crust and the mantle.

 CRUST-contains silicate (silicon and oxygen)

 Mantle-has more ferromagnesian (magnetic
iron)
 Upper Mantle

Convection
Middle
Currents
Mantle

Lower Mantle

Mantle
 Mantle
• Extends to about 2900 km from the Earth’s
surface.
• The mantle is mostly made of the elements
silicon, oxygen, iron and magnesium.
• The lower part of the mantle consists of more
iron than the upper part. This explains that the
lower mantle is denser than the upper
portion.
 Upper Mantle

Mantle Convection
Currents
Middle
Mantle
Lower Mantle

• Solid but capable of flow

• Thickest layer of the Earth (making up 70%-80%
of the Earth’s mass)
• 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 crust and the uppermost part of the
mantle form a relatively cool, outermost rigid
shell called LITHOSPHERE and is about 50 to 100
km thick.

Beneath the lithosphere lies the soft, weak

layer known as the ASTHENOSPHERE, made of
hot molten material. Its temperature is about 300
– 800oC.
 P-waves are detected on the other side of the
Earth opposite the focus. A shadow zone from
103° to 142° exists from P-waves as shown in
Figure 3.
Since P-waves are detected until 103°,
disappear from 103° to 142°, then reappear
again, something inside the Earth must be
bending the P-waves.
 The existence of a shadow zone, according to
German seismologist Beno Gutenberg could
only be explained if the Earth contained a core
composed of a material different from that of
the mantle causing the bending of the P-waves.

To honor him, mantle–core boundary is called

Gutenberg discontinuity.
BENO GUTENBERG
INGE LEHMANN
 In 1936, the innermost layer of the Earth was
predicted by Inge Lehmann, a Danish
seismologist. She discovered a new region of
seismic reflection within the core. So, the Earth
has a core within a core.
Outer
Core

Inner
Core

Core
 Outer
Core
• Molten (liquid) metal that is about 4,700°C
• It is 2250 km thick Composed of the melted
metals nickel and iron
 Aside from seismic data analysis, the Earth’s
magnetic field strengthens the idea that the
Earth’s outer core is molten/liquid.
The outer core is mainly made up of iron and
nickel moving around the solid inner core,
creating Earth’s magnetism.
 Inner
Core
• Solid sphere composed mostly of iron
• It is believed to be as hot as 6,650°C
• Heat in the core is probably generated by the
radioactive decay of uranium and other elements
• It is solid because of the pressure from the outer
core, mantle, and crust compressing it
tremendously
What tells us that the inner core is made up
of Iron?
 Iron and nickel are both dense and magnetic.
 The overall density of the earth is much higher than the
density of the rocks in the crust. This suggests that the
inside must be made up of something denser than rocks.
 Meteorite analysis have revealed that the most common
type is chondrite. Chondrite contains iron, silicon,
magnesium and oxygen; some contains nickel. The
whole earth and the meteorite roughly have the same
density, thus the Earth’s mantle rock and a meteorite
minus its iron, have the same density.
The Earth is like a peach or a boiled egg.
Turn to a seat partner and discuss these
analogies. Come up with another
analogy and be prepared to share.
 Crust

Mantle
Lithosphere – Crust and
Outer Core Upper Layer of the
Liquid Mantle

Layer of the Mantle

(asthenosphere) that
consists of hot rock of
tar-like consistency,
which slowly moves

Inner Core
Solid
 The lithosphere (crust and upper
mantle) is divided into separate plates
which move very slowly in response to
the “convecting” part of the mantle.
 What do these two images tell
us about the layers of the Earth?
 Temperature
increases as depth increases
Look at the information in the graph and
table below. What’s the relationship
between depth and density/pressure?
 Density and Pressure
increase as depth increases
 Temperature,
Density and
Pressure increases
as depth increases
 Which layer of the Earth has the
greatest temperature, pressure, and
density?

Core
 Summary
The earth is layered with
a lithosphere (crust and
uppermost mantle),
convecting mantle, and
a dense metallic core.

Pressure, temperature,
and density increases
as depth increases.
 Questions to ponder!
 What element is the most abundant in the
Earth’s crust?
 What elements make up most of the mantle?
 What is the special feature of the upper mantle?
 How did scientists come to know that the outer
core is liquid?
 What materials make up the inner core?
 Is the inner core solid, liquid, or gas? What
keeps it in this phase?
 Compare the inner core and the outer core.
LABEL THE LAYERS OF THE EARTH

1
2
3
4
 Performance Task 3

Create a model of the different layers of the Earth using a Styro Ball/ Clay.
 CRITERIA FOR SCORING

Craftsmanship 10
Neatness and Presentation 5
Accuracy of Content 10
Teamwork 10
Utility of Model 5
TOTAL 40 pts.
Let’s check your understanding!
1. Which layer of the Earth do we live on?

a. Inner Core
b. Mantle
c. Crust
d. Outer Core
2. Which layer is the hottest and is the innermost layer of Earth?
a. Inner Core
b. Mantle
c. Lithosphere
d. Interior Core
3. Which layer surrounds the inner core and is made up of liquid Nickel and Iron?
a. Exterior Core
b. Mantle
c. Lithosphere
d. Outer Core
Write the word true or false for each sentence.
 
4. The inner core of the Earth is made of liquid iron and nickel.
 
5. The Earth's mantle lies directly below the inner core.