Our Journey to the Center of the Earth

Read the following information to answer the questions. Write the question and answer in your notebook on the next
available right side of your notebook.

Our Earth is divided into several layers, and each layer is made of different types of materials. Scientists divide the Earth two different
ways based on the chemical composition of each layer and the physical properties of each layer.
1. How do scientists divide the Earth?

The Earths Chemical Composition
When scientists divide the Earth into layers based on its chemical composition there are three different layers. These are the most
common and consist of the crust, the mantle, and the core and are divided based on the compounds that make up each layer.
2. What three layers make up the Earth when it is divided into layers based on the chemical composition?

The outermost layer of Earth is the crust which is 5 km to 100 km thick (3-62 miles) and is the thinnest layer of Earth. The crust makes
up less than 1% of Earths mass. There are two different types of crust, the oceanic crust and the continental crust. Both types of crust
are made mostly of oxygen, silicon, and aluminum, but the denser oceanic crust has almost twice as much iron, calcium, and
magnesium than the continental crust which forms minerals that are denser than those in the continental crust. Therefore, the oceanic
crust is thinner but denser than the continental crust.
3. How thick is the crust?
4. How much of Earths mass is made up by the crust?
5. Compare and contrast oceanic and continental crust.

The middle layer of Earth is the mantle. The mantle is much thicker than the crust, at 2,900 km (1,802 miles), and makes up most of
Earths mass. No one has ever visited the mantle because the crust is too thick to drill through, so scientists must draw conclusions
about the mantle based on the observations they make at the Earths surface. In some places, mantle rock pushes to the surface
allowing scientists to study the rock. Scientists can also look at the ocean floor for clues about the mantle. Magma from the mantle
flows out of active volcanoes on the ocean floor. Scientists have been able to study this magma and determine that the mantle has
more magnesium and less aluminum and silicon than the crust making the mantle denser than the crust.
6. How thick is the mantle?
7. How much of Earths mass is made up by the mantle?
8. How can scientists draw conclusions about the
mantle?

The layer located at the center of the Earth is called the core. Scientists think the core is made mostly of iron and contains smaller
amounts of nickel with almost no oxygen, silicon, aluminum, or magnesium. The radius of the core is 3,430 km (2,131 miles), but the
core only makes up 33% of the Earths mass.
9. What materials make up the core?
10. How thick is the core?
11. How much of Earths mass is made up by the core?

The Physical Structure of the Earth
Scientists also divide the Earth into layers based on the physical properties of each layer. This way the Earth is divided into 5 different
layers- the lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer, and inner core. Each layer has its own set of properties that makes it
unique.
The lithosphere is the outermost, rigid layer of the Earth and is made of two different parts- the crust and the rigid upper part of the
mantle. Here the lithosphere is divided into pieces that are called tectonic plates.
The layer under the lithosphere is the asthenosphere. This is the plastic layer of the mantle (think a melting plastic spoon) that flows
and moves the different plates found in the lithosphere. The asthenosphere is made of solid rock that flows and moves
V-E-R-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y.
Under the asthenosphere and found in the middle of the Earth is the mesosphere. This is the strong, lower part of the mantle that
extends from the bottom part of the asthenosphere to the Earths core.
When scientists divide the Earth based on its physical properties, the core becomes divided into two separate layers. The outer core is
the liquid layer of the Earths core that lies beneath the mantel and surrounds the inner core. The inner core is the solid, dense center
of the Earth that extends from the bottom of the outer core to the center of the Earth.
12. When scientists divide the Earth into layers based on
their physical properties, how many layers are there?
What are their names?
13. Describe each of the following layers: lithosphere,
asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, inner core.