TOPIC: EARTH SYSTEMS FIRST LAYER: THE CRUST

THE LAYERS OF THE EARTH the outermost layer of the planet

the cooled and hardened part
ranges in depth from approximately 5-70 km (~3-44
miles)
SYSTEM - SET OF INTERCONNECTED makes up only 1% of the entire volume of the Earth
COMPONENTS THAT ARE INTERACTING TO FORM makes up the entire surface (continents and ocean
A UNIFIED WHOLE floor).

INTRODUCTION Most of the crust is composed of the eight (8)

elements, namely:
There is more to the Earth than what we can see on the Oxygen
surface. In fact, if you were able to hold the Earth in your Silicon
hand and slice it in half, youd see that it has multiple Aluminum
layers. But of course, the interior of our world continues to Iron
hold some mysteries for us. Even as we intrepidly explore Calcium
other worlds and deploy satellites into orbit, the inner Sodium
recesses of our planet remain off limits from us. Potassium
Magnesium
Modern Theory:
like all terrestrial planets, the Earths interior is The uppermost section of the mantle, together with the
differentiated. crust, constitutes the lithosphere an irregular layer with
its internal structure consists of layers, a maximum thickness of perhaps 200 km (120 mi). This is
arranged like the skin of an onion., peel back one, and where the Mohorovicic discontinuity or Moho is found.
you find another,
distinguished from the last by its chemical and This layer was discovered by a Croatian seismologist
geological properties, as well as vast differences in Andrija Mohorovicic (1857-1936) in 1909. The Moho is
temperature and pressure. now recognized as the transitional boundary that divides
the crust from the mantle.
History of Study:
During ancient times, the earliest known cases were THE SECOND LAYER: THE MANTLE
unscientific in nature taking the form of creation mostly-solid bulk of Earths interior
myths or religious fables involving the gods. lies between Earths dense, super-heated core and its
thin outer layer, the crust
Ancient Theories: about 2,900 kilometers (1,802 miles) thick,
Flat-Earth view of our planets physical form. This makes up a whopping 84% of Earths total volume
was the view in Mesopotamian culture, where the the rocks that make up Earths mantle are mostly
world was portrayed as a flat disk afloat in an ocean. silicatesa wide variety of compounds that share a
to the Mayans, the world was flat, and at it corners, silicon and oxygen structure
four jaguars (known as bacabs) held up the sky. common silicates found in the mantle include olivine,
the ancient Persians speculated that the Earth was a garnet, and pyroxene.
seven-layered ziggurat the other major type of rock found in the mantle is
(or cosmic mountain) magnesium oxide. Other mantle elements include
the Chinese viewed it as a four-sided cube. iron, aluminum, calcium, sodium, and potassium
temperature of the mantle varies greatly, from 1000
By the 6th century BCE, Greek philosophers began to Celsius (1832 Fahrenheit)
speculate that the Earth was in fact round, and by the 3rd it is mostly solid rock
century BCE, the idea of a spherical Earth began to more viscous at tectonic plate boundaries and mantle
become articulated as a scientific matter.
Layers Characteristics Chemical
THE LAYERS OF THE EARTH composition
The Earth can be divided into one of two ways
mechanically or chemically. Core Very hot Iron and nickel
Mechanically or rheologically, meaning Inner Solid
the study of liquid states it can be divided Outer Liquid
into the lithosphere, asthenosphere,
mesospheric mantle, outer core, and the
inner core. Mantle Upper layer is Fe, Mg, Si, O
Chemically, which is the more popular partially molten
of the two, it can be divided into the crust, ( asthenosphere)
the mantle (the upper and lower mantle),
and the core (outer core, and inner core) Crust Solid Mostly O and Si ,
Oceanic Basalt less amount of P,
**Layers of the Earth's Interior and their Characteristics Contin Crystalline rocks Al, Mn, Mg, Ca, K,
ental like Granite Na
Dominated by
Prepared by: MYRA B. ERAMIS
MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING - GEN SCI SPEC 506 (PLANET EARTH AND THE UNIVERSE) quartz (SiO2) and
feldspars (metal-
poor silicates)
 plumes. The geothermal gradient measures the increase of
the transfer of heat and material in the mantle helps heat and pressure in Earths interior.
determine the landscape of Earth Elements that dissolve in iron, called siderophiles,
Activity in the mantle drives plate tectonics, are also found in the core.
contributing to volcanoes, seafloor spreading, precious metals.
earthquakes, and orogeny(mountain-building). Siderophile elements include gold, platinum, and
cobalt.
The mantle is divided into several layers: Another key element in Earths core is sulfurin
the upper mantle, fact 90% of the sulfur on Earth is found in the core.
the transition zone,
the lower mantle The core is made of two layers: the outer core, which
D (D double-prime), the strange region where borders the mantle, and the inner core. The boundary
the mantle meets the outer core. separating these regions is called the Bullen
discontinuity.
UPPER MANTLE
Extends from the crust to the depth of about 410 OUTER CORE
km.
Most solid but its more malleable regions the second to the last layer of the Earth.
contribute to tectonic activity. It is magma like liquid layer
Two distinct regions of the Upper Mantle surrounds the Inner Core
creates Earth's magnetic field.
A. Lithosphere is the solid, outer part of the It is located about 1,800 miles below the Earths
Earth, extending to a depth of about 100 km crust, the top-most surface of the Earth.
- It includes the crust and the brittle upper The outer core surrounds the inner core
portion of the mantle. borders the mantle, which are the third region and the
- It is both the coolest and the most rigid closest region to the Earths crust.
of Earths layers. Unlike the inner core, the outer core is not under
- The most well- known feature associated enough pressure to condense it into solid metal.
with Earths tectonic activity. it remains in a liquid form surrounding the inner core
- Mohorovicic discontinuity or Moho the liquid metal form of the outer core is also caused
by its extremely hot temperature, which is about four
B. Asthenosphere is the denser, weaker times hotter than lava.
layer beneath the lithospheric mantle. The boundary between the outer core and the mantle
- It lies between 100 km and 410 km is the Gutenberg discontinuity.
beneath Earths surface.
- The temperature and pressure are so Temperature
high. The Outer Core is about 4000-5000
- It is the much more ductile than either degrees Celsius. The Inner Core is so hot it
the lithosphere or lower mantle. causes all the metal in the Outer Core to melt
into liquid magma.
LOWER MANTLE
Extends from about 660 km and about 2700 km Composition
beneath Earths surface. The Outer Core is composed of iron and
The lower mantle is hotter and denser than the some nickel. There are very few rocks and iron and
upper mantle and transition zone. nickel ore left in the Outer Core because of the Inner Core
melting all the metal into liquid magma.
THE THIRD LAYER: THE CORE
Thickness
Earths core is the very hot The Outer Core is about 2200 km thick. It is the
very dense second largest layer and made entirely out of liquid
center of our planet magma.
ball-shaped core
lies beneath the cool, brittle crust and the mostly-solid Magnetism
mantle Because the outer core moves around the
found about 2,900 kilometers (1,802 miles) below inner core, Earth's magnetism is created.
Earths surface Earth's magnetic field, also known as the
has a radius of about 3,485 kilometers (2,165 miles) geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from
Earths core is the furnace of the geothermal gradient the Earth's interior out into space, where it meets the solar
wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the
Sun. Its magnitude at the Earth's surface ranges from 25 to
65 microteslas (0.25 to 0.65 gauss).

INNER CORE

How did we discover the Earth's inner core?

Prepared by: MYRA B. ERAMIS

MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING - GEN SCI SPEC 506 (PLANET EARTH AND THE UNIVERSE)
Dr. Inge Lehmann discovered the makeup of the Earth's
inner core by studying how an earthquake's waves
bounced off the core. It was previously thought that the
core was made of liquid, surrounded by solid mantle and a
crust. Lehmann found that the Earth's center is made of a
solid inner core surrounded by a liquid outer core

5 Facts about the Earths Inner Core

Size
The Earth's inner core is surprisingly large, measuring
2,440 km (1,516 miles) across.
It makes up 19% of the Earth's total volume
just 30% smaller than the moon

Temperature
The temperature of the inner core is estimated to be
between 5000 6000 degrees Celcius (4,940 to 8,540
degrees Fahrenheit).
The high temperature comes from three main sources.
*residual heat left from the Earth's formation
* heat is generated by gravitational forces from
the sun and moon as they tug and pull on the inner
core
*the radioactive decay of elements deep within
the Earth also produces heat.

Phase and Composition

Scientists believe that the Earth's inner core is a solid
and is mainly composed of iron.
The scorching hot iron inner core is able to remain
solid because of the extremely high pressures at the
center of the Earth.

Spin
Experiments reported in July 1997 suggest that the
inner core spins at a slightly faster speed than the
Earth itself.
The research conducted at Columbia University
suggests that the inner core rotates in the same
direction as the rest of the planet.
the research shows that it makes one complete
revolution two-thirds of a second faster than the rest
of the planet.

Magnetic Field

Because the Earth's inner core is a solid lump of iron, you

may think that it is the source of the Earth's magnetic field.
But this is not the case. The Earth's outer core, which
consists of molten iron and nickel, flows around the inner
core, and this motion produces the magnetic field.

Prepared by: MYRA B. ERAMIS

MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING - GEN SCI SPEC 506 (PLANET EARTH AND THE UNIVERSE)