MORISCO/WILLGING 2007

Layers of the Earth

Characteristics of each of the Earth’s layers

MORISCO/WILLGING 2007

solid inner core

Made of iron and nickel

Temperature of 4300° C

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liquid outer core

inner core

Made of iron and nickel

Temperature of 3700° C

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mantle

Solid mantle

Made of rock-like material,

Temperature about 1500° C

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asthenosphere

The asthenosphere is also called the “plastic-like” mantle because it flows like partially melted plastic.

MORISCO/WILLGING 2007

rigid mantle

rigid mantleTemperature is

about 870° C

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crust

Lithospherename for both the crust and rigid mantle

rigid mantle

Deepest mine is only about 3 miles into the crust!

MORISCO/WILLGING 2007

Mohorovicic Discontinuity

Called the MohoNamed after a Russian geologistMohorovicic discovered that Earthquake waves sped up as they moved from the crust into the rigid mantle

Seismic waves slow down in softer/more liquid materials, such as the asthenosphere or outer core

MORISCO/WILLGING 2007

Density and Pressure

Pressure increases as you move from the crust to the core due to the additional material pushing down

Density also increases from the crust (about 3 g/cm3) to the core (about 10.7 g/cm3) - lighter materials floated to the top as the Earth was forming