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Earth's Structure
Crust, mantle, core
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Sphere | shaped like a ball with all points on the surface at an equal distance from the center |
| Some Earth facts... | imperfect sphere; flattened at the poles and a bulge in the center -satellite of the sun -3rd planet from the sun -71% is covered in water -tilted 23.5 degrees which causes seasons |
| Gravity | the force every object exerts on every other object because of their mass |
| Atmosphere | layer of gases surrounding Earth; outermost system -100km thick |
| Hydrosphere | water on or in the Earth's surface; water is found on the surface, underground, and liquid water in the atmosphere -water continually moves between the atmosphere and the hydrosphere |
| Geosphere | Earth's solid body;Earth's largest system; contains thin layer of soil and sediments covering a rocky center |
| Biosphere | includes all living things; organisms live within and interact with the other 3 spheres |
| Density | the amount of mass per unit of volume |
| How do we know about the inside of Earth? | Geologists have used two main types of evidence to learn about Earths interior: direct evidence from rock samples and indirect evidence from seismic waves |
| Crust | solid, thinnest, outermost layer; about 30 miles thick -temp. 0-120 F -less than 1% of Earths volume -contains continental crust and oceanic crust |
| Continental Crust | all land areas; 20-30 miles thick from the surface; made of granite; movement causes earthquakes and landforms |
| Oceanic Crust | under water; 3-6 miles thick; thinner than continental crust; made of basalt |
| Lithosphere | Solid; crust and upper mantle; broken into plates that include continents and oceans; 80km deep |
| Asthenosphere | Partially molten; upper mantle; rocks and minerals melt and flow from the pressure above it; carries the lithosphere |
| Mohorovicic (Moho) | Boundary between the crust and the mantle |
| Mantle | largest layer made of rocks; 1800 miles below the surface;magma, plastic like, has characteristics like a solid but flows like a liquid;rocks move as slow as your fingernails grow; very dense; 80% of Earth's total volume |
| Upper and lower mantle | rock below the asthenosphere is solid; hotter than the rock in the asthenosphere; temperature is hot enough to melt the rock but the pressure is so great that the rock doesn't melt |
| Convection currents | hot material moves upward and comes in contact with the crust where it cools down, becomes less dense, and sinks; the currents move like a conveyor belt |
| Convection currents - continued | heating and cooling of the fluid, changes in the fluids density, and the force of gravity combine to set the convection currents in motion; heat from the core and the mantle causes convection currents |
| Outer core | liquid; 1800-3960 miles below the surface; made of mainly iron and some nickel; 7200-9032 degrees; metals are always melted; spins as fast as Earth's rotation |
| Inner core | solid; made of iron and nickel; pressure is so great that the iron and nickel cannot melt; spins faster than Earth; helps to create magnetosphere |
| Magnetosphere | generated by the constant motion of the solid inner core and the electrical currents created by the rotation of the Earth; protects Earth from certain cosmic rays from space |
Created by:
Ashley87923
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