EARTH AND SPACE

GRADE 10
Boundaries or Seismic Discontinuities
REVIEW:

What are the compositional

layers of the Earth? Describe
each layer.
What are the mechanical
layers of the Earth? Describe
each layer.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO ASK…

How did the scientists know

about the various layer of the
earth if pressure and temperature
rise as we move deeper into the
planet?
CHECK YOUR VOCABULARY
Seismic waves -
mechanical wave of
acoustic energy that
travels through the
Earth or another
planetary body.
BODY WAVES (CAN TRAVEL THROUGH
THE EARTH'S INNER LAYERS)
 BOUNDARIES OR SEISMIC
DISCONTINUITIES
 As the waves pass through the different
layers, they are reflected, refracted, or
even produce new wave phases that result
from the different velocities in a boundary
is called the seismic discontinuity.
 This give the scientists the idea that there
exists a boundary within the different
layers of the earth.
 DISCOVERER OF DISCONTINUITIES

Andrija Mohorovicic – seismic waves

abruptly change from a constant
difference at a distance greater than
200 km from the epicenter. This
accounted to the idea of reflection and
refraction of seismic waves after
these waves encounter a different
density.
THE VELOCITY OF P-WAVES IN THE MANTLE
CHANGES BECAUSE THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
OF THE MANTLE CHANGE WITH DEPTH
 DISCOVERER OF DISCONTINUITIES

Beno Gutenberg – found out that in

some depth, the P-wave slows down
and hinders the movement of the S-
wave. He stated that the core is made
up of molten materials because it does
not allow S-waves to penetrate it.
 DISCOVERER OF DISCONTINUITIES

 IngeLehmann – based on his analysis of

seismic waves measurements, the core is
made up of molten region and a solid
region because of a sudden increase in the
P-waves and S-wave velocities at the
depth of 220km.
 DO IT RIGHT!

If you want to prove

something, be persistent in
your endeavors. Be firm and
be self-confident, just like all
the scientist who never stop to
find answers.
LET’S CHECK WHAT YOU LEARNED:
 Name the discontinuity between the
following layers:
Crust and mantle?
Inner core and outer core?
Mantle and core?
 What are the different types of seismic
waves?
 How does the seismic wave gave
information about the different layers of
the earth?