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Earth’s Interior and Plate Tectonics

Earth’s Interior and Plate Tectonics. CHAPTER 4. Earth’s Composition:. Not just solid rock Distinct layers Each layer has certain physical properties. 3 Main Layers. Crust Mantle Core. Crust. Outermost layer 5 – 100 km thick Thinnest layer 2 types of crust < 1% of Earth’s mass.

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Earth’s Interior and Plate Tectonics

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  1. Earth’s Interior and Plate Tectonics CHAPTER 4

  2. Earth’s Composition: • Not just solid rock • Distinct layers • Each layer has certain physical properties

  3. 3 Main Layers • Crust • Mantle • Core

  4. Crust • Outermost layer • 5 – 100 km thick • Thinnest layer • 2 types of crust • < 1% of Earth’s mass

  5. Continental Crust • Average thickness of 30 km • Composition similar to granite

  6. Oceanic Crust • Average thickness from 5-8 km • Composition similar to basalt

  7. Oceanic crust is more dense than Continental crust

  8. Mantle • Between crust and core • Extremely thick and 67% of Earth’s mass • Large amounts of Iron and Magnesium

  9. The Core • 33% of Earth’s mass • 2 separate layers

  10. Outer Core • Liquid layer

  11. Inner Core • Solid and dense • About 6,378 km below the surface • 6,000 oCelcius (hotter than Sun’s surface)

  12. Lithosphere • Made of the Crust and Upper Mantle • Rigid • About 150 km thick

  13. Asthenosphere • Part of the mantle • Made of rock (molten) • Flows like putty (very viscous)

  14. Lithosphere is broken into tectonic plates

  15. Tectonic Plates • Rigid, solid rock • Move around on Asthenosphere • Jigsaw puzzle

  16. Some plates contain both continental and oceanic crust

  17. How do we know what the Earth’s interior looks like?

  18. Deepest hole drilled: • 12.2 km into the earth • Kola Pennisula, Russia 1984

  19. Seismic Waves • From earthquakes • Travel through earth layers • Speed depends on density of material

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