EARTH’S INTERNAL

STRUCTURE

THE CRUST
At the end of the lesson, you should be able
to:

describe Earth’s crust;

list the abundant elements in Earth’s crust;
identify the two types of Earth’s crust; and
explain how Earth’s crust is formed.
The crust is the outermost layer
of the geosphere. It is made up
mostly of solid rocks and
minerals, and is enriched in
silica and other components.
The boundary between the
two layers is called the
Mohorovičić discontinuity.
 The crust, together with the
uppermost part of the mantle,
make up the brittle lithosphere,
which is broken up into major
sections called tectonic plates.
 The abundance of elements on
the crust was studied using its
rock. Oxygen, silicon, aluminum,
and iron are the abundant
elements found on Earth’s crust.
TYPES OF EARTH’S CRUST

“Oceanic crust” is composed

mostly of dark-colored, highly
densed mafic rocks.
 “The continental crust” is
composed of many rock types.
It’s major component is
granodiorite, a light-colored
igneous rock. The continental
crust has several features
including mountain belts and
cratons.
 The crust is formed through
differentiation of the Earth.
Billions of years ago, during the
early formation of Earth, the
planet was merely a big sphere of
molten rock. Upon cooling, lighter
materials rose near the surface
forming the crust.
Trivia about the crust:

1. The thinnest layer

2. Also the outer most layer
3. Its most abundant element is
“oxygen”
4. This is where we live