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Earth Vocab
Murdock 6th grade HCMS 3/1/17 Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Continental crust | thickest crust + less dense |
| Oceanic crust | thin crust + more dense |
| Inner core | an extremely hot, solid sphere of mostly iron and nickel at the center of the earth. About 750 miles in diameter. Very dense, and under a great amount of pressure |
| Outer core | The only liquid layer of the earth, a sea of mostly iron and nickel. About 1400 miles thick and approximately 6000 º C |
| Mantle | The largest layer of the earth is made of hot semi-solid rock. Approximately 1800 miles thick and located directly below the crust |
| Convection currents | Magma heated by the core becomes HOT and rises. As it reaches the crust it cools slightly, becoming more dense and sinks back to the bottom/core. This circular motion is a convection current |
| Crust | Hard and rigid rocky outermost layer. Only a few miles thin under oceans and up to 25 miles thick under continents. We live on top of the crust |
| Lithosphere | The upper part of the mantle and the crust |
| Asthenosphere | Middle mantle where convection currents occur |