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Plate Tectonics

Explore the breakdown of the Earth's interior, including the crust, mantle, and core. Learn about the lithosphere, asthenosphere, and mesosphere, and how scientists study the Earth's interior through indirect and direct observation methods.

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Plate Tectonics

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  1. Plate Tectonics

  2. Composition Crust Mantle Core Structure Lithosphere Asthenosphere Mesosphere Outer Core Inner Core Breakdown of the Earth

  3. Crust • Crust • Outer most layer • 5 – 100 km thick • Less than 1% of Earth’s mass • Continental Crust • Minerals similar to granite, Less dense • Average thickness 30 km • Oceanic Crust • Similar to basalt, dense • 5 – 8 km thick

  4. Lithosphere • Lithosphere: “rock sphere” • Outermost rigid layer • 15 – 300 km thick • Made of crust and upper part of mantle • Divided into pieces known as “tectonic plates”

  5. Tectonic Plates • Pieces of the lithosphere that move on top of the asthenosphere

  6. Mantle • Mantle • Found between crust and core • 2,900 km thick, 67% of Earth’s mass • Contains iron and magnesium, similar to the mineral Olivine

  7. Convection currents in the Mantle

  8. Mantle • Asthenosphere: “weak sphere” • Soft putty layer on which the lithosphere moves upon • 250 km thick • Mesosphere: “middle sphere” • Lower Mantle • Strong interior structure • 2,550 km thick

  9. Core • Core • Comprised of iron, nickel, sulfur and oxygen • 3,428 km thick • Outer core • Liquid layer • 2,200 km thick • Inner core • Solid layer • 1,228 km thick

  10. Core Comparrison

  11. Liquid Rock of the Core • Pressure allows rock to be solid • Outer core has less pressure and is able to spread out and become liquid. • Class example

  12. How do scientists know about the structure of the Earth’s interior? • Measure different speed at which seismic waves travel. • Drilled to the center of the earth • Volcanoes allow us to see into the Earth • Viewed satellite images from space

  13. Indirect Observation

  14. Direct Observation

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