The Layers of the Earth

Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, the learners will be able to:
a. describe the Earth’s interior (in terms of crust, mantle, core),
b. compare the Earth’s layers, and
c. appreciate the importance of Earth’s layers.
What do you know about Planet Earth?
 The Planet Earth: Overview
• Earth is the largest of the terrestrial
planets.
• Mass: 5.9736 X 1024 kg.
• Volume: 108.321 X 1010 km3
• It is slightly smaller between the
North and South pole at 24, 859.82
miles (40, 008 km)
• Diameter:
– At the Poles: 7, 899.8 miles (12, 713.5
km)
– At the Equator: 7, 926.28 miles (12,
756 km)
 The Planet Earth: Overview
• Chemical Composition:
– 34.6% Iron
– 29.5% Oxygen
– 15.2% Silicon
– 12.7% Magnesium
– 2.4% Nickel
– 1.9% Sulfur
– 0.05 Titanium
 The Planet Earth: Overview
• Earth is not really a perfect
sphere.
– Its diameter differ because it bulges
in the center or around the equator
due to the rotation of the Earth and
gravity.
• Shape of the Earth: Oblate
spheroid
• Equatorial bulge at Earth’s equator
measures 26.5 miles (42.72 km)
Sketch and write a description of what you think the
inside of the Earth looks like
The Boiled Egg and Layers of the Earth
 What Is Inside Earth?
The 4 main layers of Earth are
the crust, the mantle, the outer
and inner core.
– These layers vary greatly in size,
composition, temperature, pressure,
and density.
 The Earth’s Crust
1. Crust
– is the solid outer layer of the earth which is
about 4-25 miles thick consisting of sand
and rock. It lies above the mantle
• It is the thinnest layer of the Earth in relation
with other layers (1% mass and 2% volume of
the Earth)
– It is a layer of solid rock that includes both
dry land and the ocean floor.
– extends downward from the surface to an
average depth of 35 km where the mantle
begins
 The Earth’s Crust
1. Crust
– It extends downward from the surface to
an average depth of 35 km where the
mantle begins.
– Relative to the rest of the earth, the crust is
rich in:
• Silicon
• Aluminium
• Calcium
• Sodium
• Potassium
– Consists of more than 2000 minerals
 The Earth’s Crust

10/28/20 JSCano 16
 The Earth’s Crust
There are 2 kinds of crust:
A. Continental crust
B. Oceanic Crust
 The Earth’s Layers
A. Continental crust
 forms the continents (dry land)
• Made up of sial or silicon-aluminum rock
• It is 10 – 50 km thick and older than the
oceanic crust
• Consists of lighter-colored, less-dense
igneous rocks, such as granite and diorite.
– Also includes metamorphic and sedimentary
rocks.
• It has deep buoyant roots that help to
support the higher elevations above
and contains the mineral resources and
the fossil fuels used by humans
 The Earth’s Crust
B. Oceanic crust
 it is the land that can be found
below the ocean (wet land)
• Made up of simatic or silicon-
magnesium rock
• It is 8 – 10 km thick and consists of
dark, dense igneous rocks, such as
basalt and gabbro.
• It contains more mafic minerals
and is thinner and denser than the
continental crust.
The Mohorovicic discontinuity
 The Mohorovicic discontinuity or Moho is the portion in which it
separates the crust and the mantle.
 Andrija Mohorovic is a geologist who concluded that the zone of
difference in density between the rocks of crust and mantle is due to the
change in velocity of the seismic and P waves as they passed from the
crust to the mantle.
 The Earth’s Mantle
2. Mantle
 is the thickest layer that reaches
about half of the distance to the
center of the crust which lies below
the crust
• Largest layer making up 82% volume
and 68% mass of the earth
• It is much denser than the crust.
• It is dominated by magnesium and
iron-rich (mafic) materials
• It is made up of molten rocks.
 The Earth’s Mantle
2. Mantle
• It is made up of molten rocks.
• Heat from the core of the earth is transported to the crustal region by large-scale
convection of the mantle.
• Asthenosphere- is a region of partially melted of the mantle.

• Lithosphere- a rigid
layer made up of the
upper most part of the
mantle (asthenosphere)
and crust.
 The Earth’s Mantle
The lithosphere (crust and upper mantle) is divided into separate
plates which move very slowly in response to the “convecting” part
of the mantle.
 The Earth’s Core
Earth’s Core
– The inner part of the Earth
– ~1, 800 miles (2, 900 km) below the
Earth’s surface
– It is made up mostly of iron and nickel
– Makes up the 16% volume and 31%
mass of the Earth
– It has two parts:
• Liquid Outer core
• Solid Inner core
 The Earth’s Core
3. Outer core
 is a mass of molten iron and
probably contains small amount of
lighter elements, such as
magnesium, sulfur and oxygen
because its density is slightly less
than that of pure metallic iron.
• It is about 1, 370 miles (2, 200 km)
thick
• The presence of the lighter elements is
probably responsible for the outer
core’s liquid state.
 The Earth’s Core
4. Inner core
 is probably mostly metallic iron
alloyed with a small amount of nickel,
as its density is somewhat greater that
that of pure metallic iron.
• It is 780 miles (1, 250 km) thick
• The pressure in the inner core is so great
that it cannot melt, even though the
temperature reaches 6700OF (3700OC)
What do these two images tell us about the layers
of the Earth?
 Temperature
increases as depth increases
Look at the information in the graph and table below. What’s the
relationship between depth and density/pressure?
 Density and Pressure
increase as depth increases
 Temperature,
Density and
Pressure increases
as depth increases
Which layer of the Earth has the greatest temperature,
pressure, and density?

Core
 Summary
• The earth is layered with a
lithosphere (crust and
uppermost mantle), convecting
mantle, and a dense metallic
core.
• Pressure, temperature, and
density increases as depth
increases.