![]() Temperatures range from approximately 392 ☏ (200 degrees Celsius) at the upper boundary with the crust to approximately 7,230 ☏ (4,000 degrees C) at the core-mantle boundary.įor more information on the formation of the Earth’s magnetic field, see this video. So, without the outer core, life on Earth might not even be possible! The outer core is about 1400 miles thick. Convection of these liquid metals creates the Earth's magnetic field-which acts as a protective shield to deflect the Sun's radioactive solar wind from hitting Earth’s surface. Outer Core: The Earth’s outer core is made of liquid iron and nickel. It is more viscous and flows less easily than the upper mantle. The temperature of the mantle ranges from 900 degrees Fahrenheit near the crust to as high as 7000 degrees near the core. The lower mantle is made of magma under great pressure. The upper mantle starts below the crust and goes down to a depth of around 200 miles, to the boundary with the lower mantle. Mantle: Underneath the core is Earth’s mantle: an 1,800 mile (2,900 km) thick shell making up about 84% of Earth's volume. There are two types of crust on Earth: the continental crust (which is under the land) and the oceanic crust (under the ocean). This is the coldest layer of the Earth because it is exposed to the atmosphere. This accounts for less than 1% of our planet’s volume. From the outside, in the layers of the Earth include:Ĭrust: the Earth’s hard outer layer, made of solid rocks. Instead, scientists map the interior by watching how seismic waves from earthquakes are bent, reflected, sped up, or delayed by the various layers.The diagram above, courtesy of NASA, shows that the Earth is composed of several layers. ![]() Seafloor is made of a denser rock called basalt, which presses deeper into the mantle, producing basins that can fill with water.Įxcept in the crust, the interior of the Earth cannot be studied by drilling holes to take samples. It ranges from about five miles (eight kilometers) thick beneath the oceans to an average of 25 miles (40 kilometers) thick beneath the continents.Ĭurrents within the mantle have broken the crust into blocks, called plates, which slowly move around, colliding to build mountains or rifting apart to form new seafloor.Ĭontinents are composed of relatively light blocks that float high on the mantle, like gigantic, slow-moving icebergs. It is the familiar landscape on which we live: rocks, soil, and seabed. The crust is the outermost layer of the Earth. The boundary between the two lies about 465 miles (750 kilometers) beneath the Earth's surface. The mantle is about 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) thick and appears to be divided into two layers: the upper mantle and the lower mantle. This creates very slow-moving currents as hot rock rises from the depths and cooler rock descends. The rock is so hot, however, that it flows under pressure, like road tar. Many people think of this as lava, but it's actually rock. It creates the Earth's magnetic field and is about 1,400 miles (2,300 kilometers) thick. #Layers of the earth 3d project ideas plusIt too is composed mostly of iron, plus substantial amounts of sulfur and nickel. This layer is cooler but still very hot, perhaps 7,200 to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit (4,000 to 5,000 degrees Celsius). Estimates of its temperature vary, but it is probably somewhere between 9,000 and 13,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,000 and 7,000 degrees Celsius).Ībove the inner core is the outer core, a shell of liquid iron. ![]() The iron isn't pure-scientists believe it contains sulfur and nickel, plus smaller amounts of other elements. Although this inner core is white hot, the pressure is so high the iron cannot melt. The deepest layer is a solid iron ball, about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) in diameter. The Earth's interior is composed of four layers, three solid and one liquid-not magma but molten metal, nearly as hot as the surface of the sun. ![]()
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