Compositional Layers
What are the three compositional layers of the Earth?
The crust, the mantle, and the core
How many mechanical layers have we learned about?
5
The mantle is the ______ layer.
thickest
The mechanical layer just below the crust.
What is the lithosphere?
What does the Greek work "asthenes" mean?
weak
The compositional layers are divided based on what?
Their densities
One layer is rigid and "floats" on top of another layer which acts like silly putty.
What are the 2 layers of the core?
The lithosphere is not able to have convection currents due to this factor.
lower temperature
How do geologist collect information about the asthenosphere?
they study seismic waves
What are the two different types of crust?
Continental and oceanic crust.
What is the inner core mostly made of?
iron
Where is the mantle located?
Below the crust, above the core.
The lithosphere is considered together as part of the...
Crust and upper most solid part of the mantle
Lithos comes from Greek and means...
This is the thicker type of crust.
What is the continental crust?
What are the 5 main mechanical layers?
The inner core, outer core, lower mantle, lithosphere, asthenosphere
The outer layer of the core is ______ and the inner core is _______
What is liquid and solid?
Name one property of the lithosphere that makes it different from the asthenosphere
inflexible, colder, brittle, hard
The asthenosphere is believed to have a putty-like texture that allows it to move around due to what?
What is high heat?
Where is the continental crust the thickest?
Typically under mountains.
The inner core is solid due to this physics concept.
What is pressure?
The layers believed to account for Earth's magnetic field
What are the outer core and inner core?
The lithosphere is broken into these, which move around due to convection currents.
What are tectonic plates?
About how many miles have scientists dug into Earth's crust?
About 7 miles
The most dense layer.
The Core
Heat from the core rises up to the asthenosphere, melting it slightly so that it cools, and sinks. This is known as a type of heat transfer.
What are convection currents?
The mantle makes up which percentage of Earth's volume?
What is about 84%?
In which mechanical layer do convection currents occur?
The temperature 2,000 km deep into Earth is...
About 4,000 degrees Celcius