An Outer Silica-Rich, Solid Crust, A Highly Viscous Mantle Liquid Outer Core That Is Much Less Viscous Than The Mantle, and A Solid Inner Core
An Outer Silica-Rich, Solid Crust, A Highly Viscous Mantle Liquid Outer Core That Is Much Less Viscous Than The Mantle, and A Solid Inner Core
An Outer Silica-Rich, Solid Crust, A Highly Viscous Mantle Liquid Outer Core That Is Much Less Viscous Than The Mantle, and A Solid Inner Core
The
Earth has an outer silica-rich, solid crust, a highly viscous mantle, and a core comprising a liquid
outer core that is much less viscous than the mantle, and a solid inner core.
Working from the centre of the Earth out we have:
The inner core is a primarily solid sphere about 1220 km in radius situated at Earth's center.
Based on the abundance of chemical elements in the solar system, their physical properties,
and other chemical constraints regarding the remainder of Earth's volume, the inner core is
believed to be composed primarily of a nickel-iron alloy, with small amounts of some unknown
elements.
The temperature is estimated at 5,000-6,000 degrees Celsius and the pressure to be about 330
to 360 GPa (which is over 3,000,000 times that of the atmosphere!)
The liquid outer core is 2300 km thick and like the inner core composed of a nickel-iron alloy
(but with less iron than the solid inner core).
Iseismic and other geophysical evidence indicates that the outer core is so hot that the metals
are in a liquid state.
The mantle is approximately 2,900 km thick and comprises 70% of Earth's volume. (the core
makes up about 30% of Earth's volume, with the outer crust [where we live] <1%!!).
The mantle is divided into sections based upon changes in its elastic properties with depth.
In the mantle, temperatures range between 500-900 degrees Celsius at the upper boundary
with the crust to over 4,000 degrees Celsius at the boundary with the core.
Due to the temperature difference between the Earth's surface and outer core, and the ability
of the crystalline rocks at high pressure and temperature to undergo slow, creeping, viscous-
like deformation over millions of years, there is a convective material circulation in the mantle
(mantle convection cells). Hot material rises up as mantle plumes (like a lava lamp!), while
cooler (and heavier) material sinks downward to be reheated and rise up again. We shall see
that this process is very important for plate tectonic motion
The outer most layer is the crust - this is the most familiar to us as it is where we live.
The distinction between crust and mantle is based on chemistry, rock types and seismic
characteristics.
- Presenter: Ask the students to guess what the most abundant element in the earths crust
is..they may be surprised to learn that it is actually Oxygen (46.6% Oxygen; 27.7% Silica;
8.1% Aluminum; 5.0% Iron; 3.6% Calcium; 2.8% Sodium; 2.6% Potassium; 2.1% Magnesium;
plus trace elements)