1. Earth’s Interior
Study Guide

2. How do geologists know what is in Earth’s interior?

3. How do geologists know what is in Earth’s interior?
Geologists gather indirect evidence from seismic waves generated during an earthquake.
In order to understand Earth’s interior, geologist use direct and indirect evidence.
Geologists gather direct evidence from drilling holes into Earth’s crust and collecting rock samples.

4. Zenolith: mantel rocks which are exposed by earthquakes

5. Seismic Waves
Vibrations that travel through Earth carrying the energy released during an earthquake.

6. Earth’s Layers

7. Crust The layer of rock that forms Earth’s outer crust.
Continental Crust - Granite
Oceanic Crust - Basalt
Granite
Basalt

8. Mantel
The layer of hot, solid material between Earth’s crust and core.
The mantel has three layers: lithosphere, asthenosphere, and the lower mantel.

9. Lithosphere
The uppermost part of the mantel and the crust together form the ridged layer called the lithosphere.
Lithos means “stone”.

10. Asthenosphere
Located below the lithosphere, the asthenosphere is soft and can bend like plastic.
Asthenes means “weak”

11. Compare and contrast the asthenosphere with the lithosphere
The asthenosphere and lithosphere are similar in that they are both part of the mantel.
They differ in that the lithosphere is the rigid uppermost part of the mantel that includes the crust.
The asthenosphere is located below the lithosphere and is soft similar to plastic. .

12. Core
The core is made mostly of iron and nickel and consists of two parts, the outer core and inner core.

13. Outer Core
Is a layer of molten metal that surrounds the inner core.

14. Inner Core
The inner core is a dense ball of solid metal.

15. Pressure Results from a force pressing on an area.
Because of the weight of the rock above, pressure inside the Earth increases as you go deeper.