Layers of the Earth

We Have 2 ways of Dividing

Earth’s Layers:
 Physical Properties and
Composition
• Composition= what it’s made of

• Physical properties= characteristic that is

unique and helps to identify the substance
(temp, size, shape, color)

• Example: Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Composition- flour, eggs, sugar, chocolate
chips, baking powder, butter
• Properties- round, rough, sweet, tan and black,
hot, lumpy,
 Earth is divided into 3
compositional layers:

1. Crust

2. Mantle

3. Core
 Ocean Land

Crust
Crust
Ocean Land

• 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
CRUST:
• Location: outermost layer
• Temperature: 0°C to 1,000°C
• Thickness: 5km to 100 km
• 1% of Earth’s mass
• where we live
• touches the atmosphere
• Composition:
• Oxygen
• Silicon
• Aluminum
 2 TYPES OF CRUST:

• Oceanic crust is
very thin & dense,
basalt

• Continental crust
is thick but less
dense, granite
 Upper Mantle

Convection
Middle
Currents
Mantle

Lower Mantle

Mantle
 Upper Mantle

Mantle Convection
Currents
Middle
Mantle
Lower Mantle

• Solid but capable of flow (like hot asphalt or

fudge)
• Thickest layer of the Earth (making up 70% 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
 MANTLE:
• Location: below the crust.
• Temperature: 1,000°C to 3,700°C
• Thickness: 2,900 km
• 66% of earth’s mass
• Composition:
• Solid and molten rock
Outer
Core

Inner
Core

Core
CORE:
• Location: Earth’s center
• Temperature: 3,700°C - 7,000°C
• Thickness: 3,500 km
• Composition: mostly iron, some
nickel
• 33% of Earth’s mass
• Divided into 2 layers:
• Outer Core
• Inner Core
 Outer
Core
• Molten (liquid) metal that is about 4,700°C
(8,500°F)
• Located about 1,800 miles beneath the
crust and is about 1,400 miles thick
• Composed of the melted metals nickel and
iron
 Inner
Core
• Solid sphere composed mostly of iron
• It is believed to be as hot as 6,650°C (12,000°F)
• 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
 Layers of the Earth
• The 3 main layers
of the Earth can be
divided further by
the way they “act”
within the Earth
and by their
different physical
properties.
 Earth is divided into 5
physical layers:

1. Lithosphere
2. Asthenosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Outer Core
5. Inner Core
 Lithosphere
Crust and upper Mantle
• outermost layer –
includes crust and
upper mantle
• rigid
• divided into
pieces or
tectonic plates
• Rocks and soil
LITHOSPHERE:
• This is the “crunchy” layer of the
Earth.
• Location: crust and upper mantle
• Thickness: 15-300 kilometers
• Lithosphere = tectonic plates
 Asthenosphere
Middle Mantle
• composed of solid
flowing rock
• layer on which pieces of
lithosphere move on top
(solid rock that flows)
– Think of
it like caramel
ASTHENOSPHERE:
• Location: the middle mantle, below
the lithosphere
• Soft – can bend like plastic
• Lithosphere floats on this layer (like
jello)
• Thickness: 250 km
Mesosphere
Bottom Mantle
• strong, lower
part of the
mantle
• layer between
asthenosphere
and core
MESOSPHERE:
•Location: the strong, lower part of
the mantle
•Thickness: 2,550 kilometers
 The Core
sometimes referred to as the BARYSPHERE
• The core is divided into two parts
– Outer Core:
• Liquid iron and nickel that’s spinning
– Inner Core:
• Solid iron and nickel
• Solid because of all the pressure of the rest of the
Earth surrounding it.
Outer Core:

• Composition: liquid iron (with some

nickel)
• Thickness: 2,300 km
Inner Core:

•Composition: solid iron and a little

nickel.
•Thickness: 1,220 km thick.
•Solid because of increased
pressure.
 Lithosphere
Asthenosphere
CRUST
Mesosphere
MANTLE

OUTER CORE

INNER CORE
 DISCONTINUITIES
• Transition zones between the layers
There are five discontinuies inside the earth.
Conrad Discontinuity: Transition zone between SIAL
and SIMA of the crust.
Mohorovicic Discontinuity: Transition zone between the
Crust and Mantle.
Repitti Discontinuity: Transition zone between upper
mantle and lower mantle.
Gutenberg Discontinuity: Transition zone between
mantle and core.
Lehmann Discontinuity: Transition zone between outer
core and inner core.
 The MOHO

•The Moho is the boundary

where the crust meets the
mantle
•It was discovered in 1909 by
Andrija Mohorovicic
•It was discovered because at
this point density changes and
seismic waves change direction
Density, Pressure, and Temperature
• Moving towards the center of the
earth:
•Density increases
•Pressure increases
•Temperature increases
 How do we know there are
layers of the earth?

•Earthquakes emit different

kinds of seismic waves that can
travel through different
substances and at different
speeds
•Scientists used these waves
to determine the layers based
on the speed and movement of
the layers!