The

Internal
Structure
of the Earth
Group 1
Do we know the things lies beneath the Earth’s Surface?
 Do we know the things lies beneath
the Earth’s Surface?

 Crust
 Upper Mantle
 Transistion Zone
 Lower Mantle
 D” Layer
 Other Core
 Inner Core
The Earth is Divided into 3
Structural Unit / Layers

Crust
Mantle
Core
CRUST
Crust
 The layer where we live
About 5-40km
 Outer most and thinnest
Layer
 It’s relatively cool and
consist of hard rocks
and also the ocean.
2 Types of Crust

Continental Crust

Oceanic Crust
Continental Crust
 Underlines the continent
 Mostly Composed of Granite
(Silica and Aluminum Dominantly)
 About 20-
40km thick
Oceanic Crust
 Underlines the
ocean
 Mostly compose
of Basalt
(Dominated by
Silica & Magnesium)
 About 5-10km thick
Continental and Oceanic Crust
 Basalt is much denser than the granite.
Because of this the less dense
continents ride on the denser oceanic
plates.
 Plates
 The crust of the Earth is broken into pieces called Plates.

Lithospheric Plate
The Lithosphere and The
Asthenosphere
Lithosphere
 The crust and the upper layer of the mantle
together make up is called Lithosphere.
 Extends about 80km deep
 The lithosphere is broken into giant plates
that fit around the globe like puzzle pieces.
 These puzzle pieces move a little bit each
year as they slide on top of a somewhat fluid
part of the mantle called the Asthenosphere.
All this moving rock can cause earthquakes.
Asthenosphere
 The asthenosphere is the weak and easily
deformed layer of the Earth that acts as a
“lubricant” for the tectonic plates to slide
over.
 Astenosphere is solid but it behave
plastically and it can flow.
 extends from 100 km depth to 660 km
beneath the Earth's surface.
 The flowing Asthenosphere carries the
lithosphere of the Earth, including the
continents, on its back.
Crustal Composition
MANTLE
Mantle
 Mantle lies below
the Crust
 Largest Layer of
the Earth
 Almost 2900km thick
 Makes up 80% of the Earth’s Volume
 Consist of two Parts
◦ Upper Mantle & Lower Mantle
 The mantle composition consists of mostly
solid silicates
 Where magma comes from
Upper Mantle

 the layer just beneath the Earth’s crust

 The upper mantle, along with the crust, comprises
what is called the lithosphere.
 Approximately 120 miles or 200 kilometers thick.
 This is where the tectonic plates exist.
 The depth of the upper mantle ranges between
250 to 410 miles (403 to 660 km). At this depth,
rock can liquefy into magma. Magma then rises
due to convection, and as it spreads it forms the
ocean floor’s crust.
Lower Mantle
 The region inside the
Earth that resides beneath the upper
mantle.
 There is much greater pressure than in the
upper mantle, so the lower mantle is less
viscous.
 The lower mantle alone comprises roughly
55 percent of the volume of the Earth.
 The lower mantle is approximately 410 to
1,796 miles (or 660 to 2,891 km) deep.
 Its upper reaches, just under the upper
mantle, make up the transition zone.
Mesosphere
 Found under the Lithosphere
 Rock in the lower mantle gradually
strengthens with deep, but it is still
capable to flow.
Mantle Convection Cell
Mantle Convection Cell
 Convection – heat transfer by movement
of heated fluids
 In the mantle, heated materials rises
towards the Lithosphere. The hot
materials reaches the base of the
lithosphere where it cools and sinks back
down trough the mantle. The cool
material is replaced by more hot material,
and so on forming a large convection cell.
CORE
Core
 The innermost layer of the Earth
 2 parts:
◦ Outer Core (Liquid )
◦ Inner Core (Solid)
 Composed of iron and Nickel
 Near it’s center, the core temperature is
about 6000°C, as hot as the Sun’s surface.
Outer Core
 Composed of melted
Metals of molten
iron-nickel.
 Convection flow of the this fluid
generates much of the Earth’s Magnetic
Field.
 Temperature around 2000°C
 Thickness 1400mi
Inner Core
 Solid Iron-nickel Alloy.
 Hotter than the outer
core
 High Temperature and
Pressure
 Not able to move about like a liquid.
 Estimated Temperature is 4500-6000°C
 Thickness 1221km
Earth’s Magnetic Field
 The earth’s magnetic Field is generated by
the slowly moving liquid part of the iron
core.
 Earth has a North and South magnetic
pole.
 It traps many charged particles from the
sun which protect us from harmful solar
radiation.
That’s it! Good Luck for the Exam