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Structure
NCERT Notes For UPSC
of the
Earth

The structure of the planet Earth is divided into major four parts: that is the crust, then the
mantle, next is the outer core, and then the inner core. There is each layer that has a unique
chemical composition. In the state that is physical and it can impact life on surfaces of Earth's.
The movement in the mantle is generally caused by variations in heat from the core that
causes the plates to shift. Which intern can cause volcanic eruption and earthquakes. These
natural hazards which we are discussing then change our landscape and in some cases it
even threatens lives and property as well. We can learn more about how the Earth is
constructed with these articles and resources.

NCERT Notes on the structure of the Earth are an important part of the UPSC Civil Services
exams and aspirants are requested to kindly read the article carefully.

The Components Of Earth

The Crust
This is known as the outside layer of the planet and is made of solid rock. That is mostly
granite and basalt and. There are generally two types of crust; the oceanic and the continental.
The crust which is Oceanic is denser and thinner and mainly composed of basalt. The crust
which is continental is less dense, and less thick, and mainly it is composed of granite.
Know more about the Earth and the Solar System here.
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The Mantle
It consists of the hot, and the dense, magnesium-rich solid rock and iron. This layer which is
broken into plates, in it both small as well as large. To learn more about these plates that we
are talking about we need to see Plate Tectonics.

The Core
The core is the center layer of the Earth and it is made up of two parts: the first one is liquid
outer core and the second one is solid inner core. The outer core is made of parts of nickel,
and iron and molten rock. The temperatures over here can reach up to 50,000 degree Celsius.

Earth Layer
The surface of the Earth is an amazing place to behold. Yet even the deepest canyon is but a
tiny scratch on the planet earth. To really understand the planet Earth, we need to travel 6,400
kilometers that is around 3,977 miles beneath the ground.

Starting at the center the planet Earth is composed of four distinct layers. They are from the
shallowest and the deepest end in the inner core that is the outer core, the mantle and the
crust. Except for the layer of crust there is no one who has ever explored these layers in
person. In fact we can say that the deepest humans have ever drilled is just over 12 kilometers
that is 7.6 miles. And even that it took almost 20 years.
Still the scientists already know a great deal about the planet's inner structure. The scientists
— which includes Isaac Newton, there were even three centuries ago — have also learned
about the core and mantle from calculations of the planet's total density, that is gravitational
pull and magnetic field as well.

The layer of the crust makes up less than 1% of the planet by mass. Which consists of oceanic
crust and continental crust is often more rock felsic. The layer of asthenosphere and
lithosphere which are divisions based on mechanical properties. The layer of lithosphere is
composed of both the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves as a brittle, and
the rigid solid. This animation which was done by the Earthquake generally shows the layers
by composition and by mechanical properties.
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Lithosphere And Crust

The outer layer of the Earth’s outer surface is its crust; a cold and a very thin, brittle outer shell
made of rock. The crust is very thin in nature and relative to the radius of the planet. There are
said to be two very different types of crust, each with its own chemical and physical properties.
The sediments are said to be primarily muds and the shells of tiny sea creatures, which coat
the seafloor.

The thickest Sediment is near the shore where it comes off the continents in rivers and on wind
currents. The crust that is continental is made up of many different types of igneous, and the
metamorphic, and rocks that are sedimentary. The composition that is average is granite which
is much less dense than the mafic igneous rocks of the crust that is oceanic. When this is all
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filled with water, these basins form the planet’s oceans. The layer of lithosphere is the
outermost mechanical layer, which behaves as a brittle, and rigid solid.

The definition of the lithosphere is said to be based on how Earth materials behave, so it
includes the layer of crust and the uppermost mantle, which are both said to be brittle. Since it
is very rigid and brittle as well, when stresses act on the layer of lithosphere, it breaks. This is
what we experience as an earthquake.
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