LO G Y A N D T H E IN T E R N A L

G EO
STR U C T U R E O F T H E P L A N ET
HE R E MANUE L RAM ÍRE Z
TEAC
GEOLOGY

• IS THE STUDY OF THE EARTH, THE MATERIALS OF WHICH IT IS MADE, THE STRUCTURE OF THOSE
MATERIALS, AND THE PROCESSES ACTING UPON THEM.
WHAT DOES A GEOLOGIST DO?
• EARTH PROCESSES: SUCH AS LANDSLIDES, EARTHQUAKES, FLOODS, AND VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS. GEOLOGISTS
WORK TO UNDERSTAND THESE PROCESSES WELL ENOUGH TO AVOID BUILDING IMPORTANT STRUCTURES
WHERE THEY MIGHT BE DAMAGED.

• EARTH MATERIALS: GEOLOGISTS CONDUCT STUDIES THAT LOCATE ROCKS THAT CONTAIN IMPORTANT METALS,
PLAN THE MINES THAT PRODUCE THEM AND THE METHODS USED TO REMOVE THE METALS FROM THE ROCKS.

• EARTH HISTORY: TODAY WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE. MANY GEOLOGISTS ARE WORKING TO
LEARN ABOUT THE PAST CLIMATES OF EARTH AND HOW THEY HAVE CHANGED ACROSS TIME.
INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
• THE STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR MAJOR COMPONENTS: THE CRUST, THE MANTLE,
THE OUTER CORE, AND THE INNER CORE.

• EACH LAYER HAS A UNIQUE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, PHYSICAL STATE, AND CAN IMPACT LIFE ON
EARTH'S SURFACE.

• MOVEMENT IN THE MANTLE CAUSED BY VARIATIONS IN HEAT FROM THE CORE, CAUSE THE PLATES TO
SHIFT, WHICH CAN CAUSE EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS.
1. THE CRUST
• DESCRIBES THE OUTERMOST SHELL OF A TERRESTRIAL PLANET. OUR PLANET’S THIN, 40-KILOMETER (25-
MILE) DEEP CRUST—JUST 1% OF EARTH’S MASS—CONTAINS ALL KNOWN LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE.

• THE CRUST IS MADE OF SOLID ROCKS AND MINERALS. BENEATH THE CRUST IS THE MANTLE, WHICH IS
ALSO MOSTLY SOLID ROCKS AND MINERALS, BUT PUNCTUATED BY MALLEABLE AREAS OF SEMI-SOLID
MAGMA.
1.2 TYPES OF CRUST
• OCEANIC CRUST  EXTENDING 5-10 KILOMETERS (3-6 KILOMETERS) BENEATH THE OCEAN FLOOR, IS
MOSTLY COMPOSED OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF BASALTS. GEOLOGISTS OFTEN REFER TO THE ROCKS OF THE
OCEANIC CRUST AS “SIMA” (SILICATE AND MAGNESIUM).

• CONTINENTAL CRUST  IS MOSTLY COMPOSED OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF GRANITES. GEOLOGISTS OFTEN

REFER TO THE ROCKS OF THE CONTINENTAL CRUST AS “SIAL” (SILICATE AND ALUMINUM).
2. MANTLE

• THE MANTLE IS THE MOSTLY SOLID BULK OF EARTH’S INTERIOR. THE MANTLE LIES BETWEEN EARTH’S
DENSE, SUPERHEATED CORE AND ITS THIN OUTER LAYER, THE CRUST.

• THE MANTLE IS DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL LAYERS: THE UPPER MANTLE, THE TRANSITION ZONE, THE LOWER
MANTLE, AND D” (D DOUBLE-PRIME), THE STRANGE REGION WHERE THE MANTLE MEETS THE OUTER CORE.
3. OUTER CORE

• IS MOSTLY COMPOSED OF LIQUID IRON AND NICKEL.

• THE LIQUID METAL OF THE OUTER CORE HAS VERY LOW VISCOSITY, MEANING IT IS EASILY DEFORMED AND
MALLEABLE.

• IT IS THE SITE OF VIOLENT CONVECTION. THE CHURNING METAL OF THE OUTER CORE CREATES AND
SUSTAINS EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELD.
4. INNER CORE

• THE INNER CORE IS A HOT, DENSE BALL OF (MOSTLY) IRON.

• UNLIKE THE OUTER CORE, THE INNER CORE IS NOT LIQUID OR EVEN MOLTEN. THE INNER CORE’S INTENSE
PRESSURE—THE ENTIRE REST OF THE PLANET AND ITS ATMOSPHERE—PREVENTS THE IRON FROM
MELTING. THE PRESSURE AND DENSITY ARE SIMPLY TOO GREAT FOR THE IRON ATOMS TO MOVE INTO A
LIQUID STATE.