Journey to the Center of the Earth Notes

CRUST Like the skin of an apple Very thin compared to other layers Thickness: oceanic crust 5 km under oceans continental crust 30-100 km under the continents Temp: ranges from air temp. to 1832°F. The crust is broken into pieces called PLATES. The plates float on a plastic-like layer of the mantle below the crust called the ASTHENOSPHERE. The crust and the upper mantle are called the LITHOSPHERE. The boundary between the crust and mantle is called the MOHO.

MANTLE Largest layer Thickness: 2900 km Temp: 1600-4000°F Under extreme pressure from the crust above. Very dense…the continents can float on it Mantle “flows” because of convection currents. Convection currents carry heat from the earth’s interior to the surface. (Hot magma rises and then cools off and sinks)

http://www. youtube. com/watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJN5LvVdMWU&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

http://education.sdsc.edu/optiputer/flash/convection.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpoko_l34ZE

CORE OUTER CORE: Thickness: 2260 km Temp: 4000-9000°F Made of metal---so hot it is in liquid form Consists of molten IRON (Fe) and NICKEL (Ni) INNER CORE: Thickness: 1250 km Temp: 9000°F+; greater than the Sun’s surface Consists of solid IRON (Fe) and NICKEL (Ni) Pressure is so great, metals are squeezed together and are not able to move and form a solid---DENSEST of all layers. Pressure is 45,000,000 pounds per square inch