Origin and Structure of the Earth, Earth and Life Science

The Internal Structure of Earth

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify and differentiate the layers of the Earth.
What are the different layers of the Earth?
Learn about it!
The Earth consists of three layers: core, mantle, and crust. The solid outer layer is the crust. A semi-
molten rock called magma lies in the mantle below the crust. Beneath the mantle is the core. The outer
core is a liquid mixture of nickel and iron while the inner core is solid.

The Crust
The crust is a very thin layer that measures between 0 and 60 km. It has two layers and is composed of
two major kinds of rocks. The thick continental crust, about 32 km, makes up the land surface of the
Earth and is composed primarily of dense materials such as granite. The thin oceanic crust has a depth
of 5–10 km and is made up of basalt which is less dense than granite. The crust can be broken down into
plates which produce earthquakes when they move along each other.

The Mantle
The mantle is below the crust. It is the thickest layer of the Earth, spanning almost 2900 km and making
up 84% of the Earth’s volume. It contains magma. It is primarily solid but behaves as a viscous liquid.
This behavior is due to temperature differences towards the lower mantle. As the depth becomes near
the core, the temperature increases. This is known as the geothermal gradient, the increase in
temperature with depth. In the upper mantle, the temperatures range from 600 to 900 °C. In the lower
mantle, the temperature can reach over 4000 °C.
Convection currents carry heat from the hot inner mantle to the cooler outer mantle. If the upper part
of the mantle cools down, it becomes part of the crust. Also, this process is responsible for earthquakes
and other geological processes.

The crust and the upper part of the mantle make up the lithosphere, a zone of rigid, brittle rock. The
layer below it is called the asthenosphere. This part of the mantle is solid in a plastic manner (flows very
slowly), allowing the plates to move on top of it.
The Core
The core is at the center of the Earth. In this region, the temperature is hotter than the mantle. It is
divided into two parts: the outer core and the inner core.
The liquid outer core is 2300 km thick. It is composed primarily of iron and nickel. The temperature here
is around 4000–5700 °C. Due to its high temperature, the outer core undergoes convection and rotates
faster than the planet.
The inner core is a solid ball with a radius of 1220 km. Like the outer core, the inner core is made up of
iron and nickel, but in solid form. The temperature is quite high at around 7000 °C.
The difference between the state of matter of the inner and outer core is due to the very high pressure
in the inner core, increasing the melting points of the metals. Scientists believed that the inner core
rotates opposite to the direction of the flow of the outer core, creating an effect that influences the
Earth’s magnetic field.
Explore!
If you cut an apple in half, you will see that it is composed of three parts: a thin skin, a flesh in which the
mass is concentrated, and seeds located at the center. Similarly, if you cut the Earth, you will see layers:
a crust on the outside, a mantle of significant weight, and a core at the center.
Try it!
Research about how the layers of the Earth are formed.
What do you think?
What might happen to the Earth if the inner core melts?
Key Points
The Earth has three layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core.
The crust is the solid outer layer of the Earth.
The types of crust are the oceanic crust and the continental crust.
The mantle lies below the crust and composed primarily of magma.
The crust and the upper part of the mantle constitute the lithosphere; the upper part of the mantle is
the asthenosphere.
The core is the center of the Earth and is composed of the solid inner core and the liquid outer core.