THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH

LAYERS OF PROPERTIES AND STRUCTURE

THE EARTH DESCRIPTION COMPOSITION THICKNESS DENSITY PRESSURE TEMPERATURE
3
CRUST SOLID LAYER WITH oxygen, silicon, 0-100 KM -2.7 g/cm - 200,000 psi 200-400 oC surface
Continental crust AND aluminum, iron, Continental portion.
Oceanic crust calcium, sodium, crust 870 oC – deepest
Lithosphere is moving. potassium, 2.9 g/cm3 - part
Discovered by Andrija magnesium, titanium Oceanic crust
Mojorovicic in 1909 and hydrogen
MANTLE Semi – solid with silicon, oxygen, iron 100 km – 3-4.5 g/cm3 - 136 Giga 1000-1500 oC
melted plastic like, and magnesium. 2900 km Asthenosphere Pascals / 1.3
soft, weak layer that Made up mostly of 5.7 g/cm3 - million atm
made up 80% of the Peridotite and olivine Lower mantle
Earth’s volume. This (Silicate rocks that
layer was discovered cannot be found in
by Beno Gutenberg. crust)
OUTER CORE Liquid metallic layer liquid iron and nickel 2900 km – 12.6 - 13 g/cm3 1.3-3.3 3000-4700 oC
with extreme pressure 5100 km million atm
and temperature that
keeps up mantle
convection. This layer
was discovered by Inge
Lehmann together
with the inner core.
INNER CORE Solid metallic layer solid iron and nickel 5100 km – 9.9 – 12.2 3.6 million About 5200 oC
source of magnetic 6738 km g/cm3 atm
field