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Earth on the Move. Earth Structure & Plate Tectonics Notes. Earth, Inside & Out . The Earth is divided into three layers Crust Mantle Core. Crust. (1) This is the outermost layer of the Earth. (2) This is the layer we walk on. (3) It is a thick, rocky skin.
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Earth on the Move Earth Structure & Plate Tectonics Notes Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
Earth, Inside & Out • The Earth is divided into three layers • Crust • Mantle • Core Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
Crust • (1) This is the outermost layer of the Earth. • (2) This is the layer we walk on. • (3) It is a thick, rocky skin. • (4) If we think of the Earth as a billiard ball, this crust is as thin as a postage stamp stuck on a billiard ball. • (5) At its thickest, which is under mountain ranges, the crust is only about 35km (22mi) thick. Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
And what type of crust would you like with your Earth? • There are two types of crust Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
Continental Crust: • 1. Makes up the continents • 2. Contains light colored rocks such as granite. • 3. Floats high on the mantle Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
(i) Oceanic Crust • 1. Makes up the ocean floor • 2. Contains the dense rocks such as basalt • Thinner than the continental crust Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
Mantle • (1) Hotter and denser than the crust because the deeper you go inside the earth, the temperature & pressure increases. • (2) Made of solid rock. • The Mantle is made of two zones Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
Mantle Zones • (a) Lithosphere • (i) Thin, uppermost part of the mantle; cooler & less rigid • (ii) Floats on the athenosphere, and slides around very slowly. • (iii) The upper part of the lithosphere melts rocks, forming a substance called magma. Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
Magma • 1. Magma (melted rock) moves like hot oatmeal. • Uneven heating causes material in the mantle to constantly and slowly rise & fall in convection currents. • Convection Current: process by which hot fluid rises to the surface, and then sinks again, like soup being heated in a saucepan Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
(a) Asthenosphere • Hot, weak zone directly under the lithosphere • Flows at a very slow rate Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
Core • i) Deep within the Earth is the core • ii) The core is made mostly of nickel & iron • iii) Twice as dense as the mantle. • Main source of heat that triggers the convection currents Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004
The core is made of two layers • (1) Outer core: molten & is responsible for the Earth’s magnetic field. • Inner core: solid Baker 7th grade science 2003-2004