STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH

The structure of Earth can be defined in two ways: by mechanical properties such as rheology, or chemically.
Mechanically, it can be divided into lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesospheric mantle, outer core, and the inner
core. The interior of Earth is divided into 5 important layers. Chemically, Earth can be divided into the crust,
upper mantle, lower mantle, outer core, and inner core.

LAYERS OF THE EARTH

Crust

The crust ranges from 5–70 km (~3–44 miles) in depth and is the outermost layer. It is categorized into two
parts, the Oceanic Crust and the Continental Crust It makes up only one percent of the earth's mass.
The thin parts are the oceanic crust, which underlie the ocean basins (5–10 km) and are composed of dense
(mafic) iron magnesium silicate igneous rocks, like basalt.

The thicker crust is continental crust, which is less dense and composed (felsic) sodium potassium
aluminium silicate rocks,

The uppermost mantle together with the crust constitutes the lithosphere.

The Mohorovičić discontinuity (Croatian pronunciation: [moxoroʋitʃitɕ]), usually referred to as the Moho,
is the boundary between the Earth's crust and the mantle. Named after the
pioneering Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić, the Moho separates both the oceanic
crust and continental crust from underlying mantle. The Moho lies almost entirely within the lithosphere; only
beneath mid-ocean ridges does it define the lithosphere - asthenosphere boundary.

Mantle
Earth's mantle extends to a depth of 2,890 km, making it the thickest layer of Earth. The pressure, at the
bottom of the mantle, is ~140 GPa (1.4 Matm). The mantle is composed of silicate rocks that are rich in iron
and magnesium relative to the overlying crust. Although solid, the high temperatures within the mantle cause
the silicate material to be sufficiently ductile that it can flow on very long timescales.

The lower mantle, its chemical composition includes silicon, magnesium, and oxygen. Most likely, it probably
also contains some iron, calcium, and aluminum. This layer is comprised of 72.9% of the mantle-crust mass,
making the Earth abundant in the chemical elements of silicon, magnesium and oxygen, the layer's primary
components

The upper mantle makes up 10.3 % of the Earth’s mass, extending a depth of 6-250 miles( 10-400 kilometers)
A relatively large portion when compared to the other interior layers. This layer is not completely made of solid
minerals for scientist speculate that the asthenosphere could be partly liquid molten.

The core–mantle boundary also known as the Guttenberg Discontinuity lies between the
Earth's silicate mantle and its liquid iron-nickel outer core. This boundary is located at approximately 2900 km
(1798 mi) depth beneath the Earth's surface. The boundary is observed via the discontinuity in seismic
wave velocities at that depth.

Core

Below the mantle is the core. It makes up nearly one third the mass of the earth. The Earth's core is actually
made up of two distinct parts: a 2,200 km-thick liquid outer core and a 1,250 km-thick solid inner core.

The outer core is in the range of 200 to 300 kilometers ( 125 to 188 miles) thick and represents about 4 % of
the mantle –crust mass. It is made of iron and is very dense. As the Earth rotates, the liquid outer core spins,
creating the Earth's magnetic field. The outer core of the Earth is a scorching hot, electrically conducive liquid
in which convection takes place.

The inner core is a solid section of the Earth and is unattached to the mantle, being suspended by the
molten outer core. The inner core is made of solid iron and nickel. This solidified state is the result of a very
intense pressure-freezing process that occurs in most liquids when temperature decreases or pressure
increases.