Earth's Internal Structure

Inner Core Outer core Mantle Crust

The very thing, outermost layer of Earth There is oceanic and continental crust Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust less dense rocks - high in silicon

The sold rocky shell that extends from the base of the crust to a depth of 2900 km high density rocks

Lithosphere Asthenosphere Transition Zone

The rigid outer layer of Earth, including the crust and upper mantle

Situated below the lithosphere This zone of weak material exists below a depth of about 100 kilometers and in some regions extends as deep as 700 kilometers. The rock within this zone is easily deformed (solid but mobile)

The lowest portion of the upper mantle

The part of the mantle that extends from the core-mantle boundary to a depth of 660 kilometers

The innermost layer of Earth. Consists of inner core and outer core

A layer beneath the mantle about 2270 kilometers thick, which has the properties of a liquid Made up of iron + nickel

Chemical composition: very high-density materials (Iron and Nickel) Physical properties: solid

Chemical composition - differences in composition Physical properties- like whether the layer is liquid or solid, weak or strong

Formed as result of chemical differentiation, according to the density of the material The really dense material goes down to the core and the less dense material rise up

The resistance to flow

It changes with depth from Earth’s surface to the bottom of the mantle The viscosity of the asthenosphere is low, but the viscosity of the lower mantle is strong

Change in the temperature Change in the pressure Change in chemical composition

Primordial/accretionary heat from Earth that is still cooling down from Earth’s creation Radioactive decay still occurs today, keeping Earth’s interior hotter than it would be if it was just cooling down

Internal heat is transferred from the core to the surface via conduction and convection

Involves the transfer of heat from warmer to cooler areas of a material without the movement of the material itself

Requires the movement of material from one area to another

Inner core to Outer Core -> Conduction Outer Core to D layer -> Convection D-layer to lower mantle -> Conduction Mantle to Lithosphere ->Convection

It is a function of the material composition & pressure at a given depth

The gradual increase in temperature with depth in the crust of Earth

When the temperature exceeds the melting point at a given depth, rocks are molten Most of the Earth’s interior is solid