Earth science

The diagram compares the planets of our inner solar system to Kepler-186, a five-planet star system about 500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.

Earth's interior

• Inner core.– Composed of solid alloy of iron and nickel– Radius of ~760 miles (about 1220 km)– Temperature is ~5700 K (5400 0C)

• Outer core.– Liquid layer composed of Fe, Ni, S, O– ~1400 mi thick (2890 km)– Temperature is ~4300K (40300C)

• Lower mantle– Composed of Fe, Mg and silicate compound (like SiO2) and (MgFe)2SiO4 (Olivine rock)– ~ 1600 mi thick (about 2560 km)– Temperature is ~4144 K (3841 0C)

• Upper mantle– Composed of Olivine rocks, compound of SiO2 and

Peridotite – ~ 200 mi thick (about 320 km)– Temperature is ~755 K (482 0C)

• Athenosphere– Composed of molten rock– ~ 100 mi thick (about 160 km)– Temperature is ~1570K (1300 0C)– Acts as the lubricant for the tectonic plates

• Lithosphere– Composed of rock– ~ 63 mi thick (about 100 km)– Temperature is ~573 K (300 0C)– This is the tectonic plate

• Crust– Composed of Si, O, Al, Ca, K, Na... etc

• Oceanic crust– ~6 mi thick (10 km)

• Continental crust– ~20 mi thick (33 km)

Everything You Need to Know About Planet Earth

Plate Boundaries

The Pangaea Pop-up - Michael Molina

• Divergent Boundaries– Boundaries between two plates that are moving apart or rifting

• Convergent Boundaries

– Boundaries between two plates that are colliding

Plate Tectonics Explained

Evidence of plate movement

• Rock island is moving at a rate of cm/yr from southern California to coast of Alaska

• Image of eruption of Mount Pinatubo last 12 June 1991.

• Benham rise is 13 million hectare which is larger than Luzon which is 10 million hectare

What happens when continents collide - Juan D. Carrillo