EARTH’S

INTERIOR
 EARTH’S
INTERIOR

Objectives
-Describe the earth’s internal structure
-Compare the earth’s layer
Layers of the Earth
 EXPLORING INSIDE EARTH
• Geologists have used two main types of evidence
to learn about Earth’s interior: direct evidence from
rock samples and indirect evidence from seismic
waves.
 Evidence from Rock Samples…
• Rocks from inside Earth give
geologists clues about Earth’s
structure.
• Geologists have drilled holes as
much as 12 km deep into Earth.
The drills bring up samples of
rock that can be used to make
inferences about conditions deep
inside Earth.
• Sometimes, forces
inside Earth blast rocks
to the surface from
depths of more than 100
km.
• These rocks provide
more information about
Earth’s interior.
 Evidence from Seismic Waves…
• Since geologists cannot look inside Earth, they must rely on
indirect methods of observation. When earthquakes occur, they
produce seismic waves. Geologists record seismic waves and
study how they travel through Earth. The speed of the seismic
waves and the paths they take reveal the structure of the planet.
 Seismic wave
• An elastic shock wave that travels
outward in all directions from an
earthquake source.
• Using data collected from seismic waves, geologists
have learned the Earth’s interior is made up of several
layers. Each layer surrounds the layer beneath it, like the
layers of an onion.
 A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE
EARTH
• The four main layers of
Earth are the crust, the
mantle, and the outer and
inner core.
• These layers vary greatly
in size, composition,
temperature, and
pressure.
 Temperature…
• About 20 meters below Earth’s surface, rock
begins to get warmer. For every 40 meters
that you descend from that point, the
temperature rises 1 degree Celsius. This
rapid rise of temperature continues for
several tens of km, and continues to grow
hotter and hotter approaching the core. The
high temperatures inside Earth are a result
of heat left over from the formation of the
planet.
 Pressure…
• The more you descend into
Earth’s interior, the amount
of pressure increases.
Pressure results from a
force pressing on an area.
Because of the weight of the
rock above, pressure inside
Earth increases as you go
deeper. The deeper you go,
the greater the pressure.
The Earth is made up of 4 main layers:
Crust
Continental crust
Oceanic crust

Mantle
Upper mantle
Lower mantle

Core
Inner core
Outer core
 Crust
Ocean Land
t Continen
c Cr us tal
Oceani Crust

• 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
 THE CRUST
• The crust is the layer of
rock that forms Earth’s
outer skin. The crust is a
layer of solid rock that
includes both dry land and
the ocean floor. This layer
of the Earth is much
thinner than the layers
beneath it.
• The crust beneath
the ocean is called
oceanic crust,
which consists BASALT

mostly of rocks
such as basalt.
Basalt is dark rock
with a fine texture.
• Continental crust, crust
that forms the GRANITE
continents, consists
mainly of rocks such
as granite. Granite is a
rock that usually is light
in color and has a
coarse(not fine/rough)
texture.
 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
 Convection
• Transfer of heat by mass movement or
circulation of a substance.
 THE MANTLE
• Below Earth’s crust is the mantle. Earth’s
mantle is made up of rock that is very hot,
but solid.
• Scientists divide the mantle into layers
based on the physical characteristics of
those layers.
• Overall, the mantle is nearly 3000 km thick.
 The Lithosphere…
• The upper most
part of the
mantle and the
crust together
form a rigid layer
called the
lithosphere.
• In Greek, “lithos”
means “rock.”
 The Asthenosphere…
• Below the lithosphere is a layer that is
hotter and under increasing pressure.
Like road tar is softened by the heat of
the sun, this part of the mantle is
somewhat soft- it can bend like plastic.
• This soft layer of the mantle is called
the asthenosphere. In Greek,
“asthenes” means “weak.” Although this
layer is softer than the rest of the
mantle, it is still solid.
 The Lower Mantle…

• Below the asthenosphere, the mantle is

solid. This solid material extends all the
way to Earth’s core.
 THE CORE
• Beneath the mantle is
Earth’s core.
• The core is made mostly of
the metals iron and nickel.
It consist of two parts- a
liquid outer core and solid
inner core.
 The Inner and Outer Cores…
• The outer core is a
layer of molten
metal that
surrounds the
inner core.
Despite pressure
from the rock
above, it is liquid.
• The inner core is a
dense ball of solid
metal.
• In the inner core,
extreme pressure
squeezes the atoms of
iron and nickel so much
that they cannot spread
out and become liquid.
 What do these two images tell
us about the layers of the Earth?
 Temperature
increases as depth increases
 Density and Pressure
increase as depth increases
 Temperature,
Density and
Pressure increases
as depth increases
 Which layer of the Earth has the
greatest temperature, pressure, and
density?

Core
 Summary
The earth is layered
with a lithosphere
(crust and uppermost
mantle), convecting
mantle, and
a dense metallic core.
Pressure,
temperature, and
density increases http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamic
as depth increases. earth/structure.html
 The Core and Earth’s Magnetic
Field…
• Scientists believe that
movements in the
Earth’s liquid outer
core create Earth’s
magnetic field.
Because Earth has a
magnetic field, the
planet acts as a giant
bar magnet.