INTERIOR OF THE EARTH

EVIDENCE
LAYERS
SUBLAYERS
Different Evidence

Laboratory measurements of P & S waves

Applied Reflection Seismology

Meteorites

Volcanism
Seismic Evidence - Body
Waves
TYPES OF WAVES
NATURE OF ROCKS AND
WAVES
Direct relation between velocity and
density

Direct relation between velocity and rigidity

Inverse relation between velocity and
incompressibility

PRESENCE AND ABSENCE OF
WAVES
PATH OF WAVES IN
HETEROGENOUS MEDIUM
REFRACTION OF S WAVES
REFRACTION OF P WAVES
SHADOW ZONE
Wave Velocity & Interior
BODY WAVES & LAYERS OF
EARTH










http://whatonearth.olehnielsen.dk/interior.asp
SIESMIC WAVES AND
INTERIOR OF EARTH
http://www2.ocean.washington.
edu/oc540/lec01-1/
Layered Structure of Earth
MORE ABOUT WAVES
Kulpa Valley(Croatia,1909) Pg & Sg. Only
near epicentre. refracted from outer
granitic shell
Tauern (Austria 1923) P* S*, intermediate
in velocity,- refracted from intermediate
basalt shell.
P, S go deepest, accelerate, refracted
from olivine layer.
LAYERS OF THE EARTH
CRUST
Continental Crust
Oceanic Crust
Main Features
Extent
Density
Temperature
Composition
Sub Layers-
1-sial
2- sima
Conard discontinuity


CONTINENTAL CRUST-
FORMATION
Overall material with granitic composition.

Other rock types are basalts, but volumetrically not important.

Velocity of seismic waves increase with depth, because of a downwards
increase in basaltic rocks.

thickest beneath mountain ranges (50-60 km), elsewhere the thickness is
about 30 km.

The oldest continental crust is about 3.8 b.y. old, and continents keep
growing.

within the crust of each continent we can distinguish three basic
components: shields, stable platforms, and folded mountain belts.
COMPOSITION OF CRUST
ELEMENT % BY WEIGHT
O 46.6
Si 27.7
Al 8.1
Fe 5.0
Ca 3.6
Na 2.8
K 2.6
Mg 2.1
TOTAL 98.5
GROWTH OF CONTINENTS
Variety of Continental crust
Velocity of P wave in different regioms
a- Wisconsin Shield, b-Basin-Range province , c-North Scotland, d- S California Mnt belt, e- Central Andese Mnt.
Ocean-continent convergence, f- Central alps. Continent- Cont. convergence.
Oceanic Crust
COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE
OF OCEANIC CRUST
The top layer (1.) consists of pelagic sediments that were
deposited above the basalts of the oceanic crust.

(2.) consists of lavas called pillow basalts,

(3.) consists essentially of complexly cross-cutting, near
vertical basaltic dikes, which are the feeder channels for the
pillow basalts.

(4.) consists of the magma chambers that feed the dikes of
layer three, or are filled by the plutonic equivalent of basalt,
gabbro.
FORMATION OF OCEANIC
CRUST
Thanks