Crust is the outermost layer of the Earth.

It is considered the thinnest

layer because it only makes up 1 percent of Earth. It is only 5-10 km
thick then it thickens up under continents up to 35 km and 60 km under
mountain ranges. The crust is made of the most common elements like
oxygen (46.6%), silicon (27.7%), aluminum (8.1), iron (5), calcium (3.6),
sodium(2.8), potassium(2.6), and magnesium(2.1). These elements
make up about 98.5% of the crust’s weight and its average temperature
is 870 celsius.

Earth’s lithosphere is well known for its association to tectonic activities

or plate tectonics. It is the outer solid part of the planet. It includes the
brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust. There are also two
types of lithospheres: oceanic and continental. It is composed of the
crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on
time scales of up to thousands of years or more. Did you know that it is
derived from the Greek word lithos which means meaning stone and
sphaira meaning globe or ball.

Asthenosphere is the weak and ductile region of the upper mantle of

the Earth. It lies below the lithosphere at a depth between 80 km to
200km below the surface and more extensive decompression melting
takes place in the asthenosphere which is a source of magma on Earth.
The asthenosphere’s function is to lubricate the undersides of
Earth's tectonic plates and allowing them to move. It is
composed of peridotite, olivine, and pyroxene. Its temperature is about
1,300 Celsius and is a fluid behaving like a plastic texture.
The mantle is the largest layer of the Earth it is about 2900 km or 1800
miles. It is made of calcium, magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. 80% of the
planet’s mass is concentrated on the mantle and most of Earth’s
internal heat comes from here. The magma chamber is also located
here responsible for volcanic processes. The average temperature is
about 3,700 Celsius but it has different temperatures at different
depths. Geothermal gradient is recorded when the mantle is in contact
with the core which is responsible for different rock behaviors within
the mantle. The mantle has two parts: Upper and Lower. The upper
mantle is seen as a highly viscous layer between the crust and the lower
mantle. IT extends up to 660 km and consists of peridotite and dunnite
which are solid and rocks made of olivine and pyroxene. 900 degrees
Celsius is the highest recorded temperature of this area. On the other
hand, the lower mantle has rocks that are hot and soft unlike the
upper’s cooler and brittle rock. When these rocks are forced, they do
not break but flow along their region. Heat from the lower mantle goes
up to the upper mantle through convection turrets.

Lastly, the innermost layer of the earth which is the Core. It is

separated by the outer core and inner core. Earth’s inner heat source
comes from here because it contains radioactive materials (meaning
harmful) that releases heat. The core is composed of iron-nickel alloy.
The outer core is about 4% of the mantle-crust mass. It can be regarded
as a ball of very hot metals. It is a liquid part made up of iron, nickel,
sulphur, and oxygen. The temperature on this layer goes about 5000
Celsius making it remain In its liquid state.
The inner core is the deepest region of the planet. It has a very extreme
temperature about 5000-6000 celsius that is hotter than the sun’s
surface temperature which is only 5,505 celsius. It is solid unlike the
outer core that is liquid. IT is a very important region because it helps
mobilize the materials of the outer core and the mantle. It’s thickness
us believed to be about 1,250 km and it is 70% wide as the Moon. As
the Earth rotates, the outer core spins over the inner core that
generates the Earth’s Magnetic Field. Our magnetic field protects the
planet from cosmic radiation and charged particles from the Sun.
Without this, people on the Earth would have high exposure on
ultraviolet radiation. It is also responsible for the navigation of a
compass.