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The Layers of the Earth

The earth is made up of four different layers. If you are
wondering why it has that many layers this is because of its
history. There are many historians and geologists that believe
the earth wasnt always made up for four layers. Instead, they
believe that as the earth cooled as rapidly as it did that the
heavier parts of the earth sank into the inside of the world, the
lighter, dense materials moved into the middle of the world, and
the lightest materials of all rose to the top. This explains why
things like rock are on the surface of the earth and the much
heavier things like iron are located in the earths core.

The Crust the part of the earth that you live on
The Mantle a hot area that has the ability to flow (think of
lava)
The Outer Core the heaviest parts of earth in a hot liquid
state
The Inner Core the heaviest parts of earth in a solid state

The Crust
Think of the crust of the earth like you would a peel of a fruit.
This area is thin compared to the rest of the item. It is the
weakest layer that is usually meant to prevent major damage to
the other layers by breaking the fall. The crust of the earth is
about 5 miles thick under the oceanic crust and 25 miles thick
under the continental crust. This means that under water
(oceans) the layer of the earth goes five miles and under solid
ground it goes further at twenty-five miles. There are many
different temperatures that are occurring on the crust of the
earth. The air you feel right now is the lowest temperature
available on the crust. The highest temperature can be as high
as 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the temperature that would
allow rocks to melt which would lead into the second layer of the
earth. The crust of the earth might be one layer but this layer is
broken into many different parts called plates. These plates are
located below the actual crust on a soft area known as a mantle.
The plates float on the mantle which allows them to move.
Occasionally they will stop moving but when they stick in one
place they build pressure until they snap. When they snap an
earthquake occurs. The crust of the earth is made of rock. There
are two main types of rock that the earth is made of. Granite and
Basalt comprise the crust for the earth. The oceanic crust is
made of basalt which is a form of lava (volcanic) rock. The
continental crust is made of granite. The oceanic rock is much
heavier than the continental rock. As the continental rock is not
as heavy the continents ride along on the oceanic plates
because they are denser. The crust and the top of the mantle
work together to make up something called the lithosphere. The
lithosphere is a firm form of rock. The next layer below the
lithosphere is the asthenosphere. This area is responsible for
moving the plates of the earth. It is an area of the mantle that is
said to have a consistency similar to asphalt.

The Mantle
The mantle is the largest layer of the earth at 1,800 miles thick.
The mantle is made up of extremely hot rock. No matter how
heavy the substance is on top of this layer it still manages to flow
easily based on the entire heat of the layer. The reason it is able
to flow is not only because of the temperature of this layer but
because of the temperature above and below it. The plates
under the crust of the earth move because the mantle moves.
The bottom crust of the earth is 1,600 degrees, which means the
top of the mantle is also this temperature. As you get deeper into
the mantle the temperature rises until it reaches a top heat of
around 4,000 degrees at the bottom of the mantle.
Due to the fact that the mantle is such a dense material this
allows the plates to drift along on top of the mantles layer similar
to how oil might float on top of water. Some scientists believe the
flowing occurs due to convection currents. Convection currents
are caused by hot material in the bottom of the mantle rising up,
cooling, and sinking to the bottom again. As it gets to the bottom
it again becomes hot and repeats the process continually. This
current is able to move the plates of the crust as well.

Outer Core
The top of the outer core holds a temperature of 4,000 degrees
Fahrenheit but the deeper you go into the core, the hotter it will
become. At its hottest point the outer core will reach a
temperature of 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This layer of the earth
is so hot that the entire layer is layer of liquids. The outer core is
a total of 1,400 miles thick and 1,800 miles beneath the top layer
of the crust. This area of the earth is comprised specifically of
melted nickel and iron.

Inner Core
The inner core is the final layer of the earth. This layer of the
earth has a temperature so high that metals are put together and
cannot move like liquid does but instead they vibrate and work
as a solid. The inner core can be found 4,000 miles under the
crust. This layer of the earth is approximately 800 miles thick.
The highest temperature for this layer will be found in the
deepest section of the layer and will reach 9,000 degrees. The
pressure for this layer is an amazing 45,000,000 pounds for
square inch. To get a better understanding of what that means it
is 3,000,000 times more than the air pressure you are used to.