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Earth’s Layers
Terms to Know
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Oceanic crust | Oceanic crust is the part of Earth's lithosphere that is under our oceans.. It is primarily made up of igneous (volcanic rock) known as basalt. It is thinner than the continental crust. |
Continental crust | The layer of the crust that we live on. It is made up of rocks and minerals. |
Lithosphere | The crust and uppermost part of the mantle. It forms a rigid shell on the outside of the earth |
Asthenosphere | The partially melted portion of the mantle below the lithosphere. It is hotter than the lithosphere. |
Upper mantle | The top part of the mantle. It is mostly solid. |
lower mantle | The lower part of the mantle. It is made of extremely thick, hot semi-solid rock. (Think corn syrup!) |
Inner core | The center of the earth. It is made of an extremely hot, mostly solid ball of Iron (Fe) that spins faster than the earth itself. (It is as hot as the surface of the sun!) |
Outer core | Towards the center of the earth. The inner core is made of hot, molten metals. The movement of the inner and outer core in opposite directions creates our magnetic field. |