Earth's Interior Notes

1. Earth’s
Interior

2. Basic Facts:
1. 4.6 billion years old
2. Made mostly of rock
3. 71% of surface covered with water
4. Slightly flattened sphere
5. Rotates on its axis

3. What are the layers of the Earth?
 Crust
 Mantle
 Outer Core
 Inner Core

4. Crust:
 Thin, solid outermost layer of the Earth that
makes up less than 1% of the volume of the
Earth
 Two Types of Crust:
 Oceanic – more dense, younger
 Continental – less dense, older

5. Mantle:
 Layer of “solid-ish” rock located between the
crust and the core
 able to move through convection currents
 denser than the crust
 makes up 2/3 of the mass of the Earth

6. What is the difference between
the lithosphere and the
asthenosphere?
 Lithosphere – rocky portion, rigid, crust and part of
upper mantle
 Asthenosphere – plastic solid, moves due to higher
temperatures, part of upper mantle

7. Core:
 Central part of the Earth below the mantle
 Two Parts:
 Outer Core – Liquid
 Inner Core - Solid

8. Where does Earth’s magnetic
field come from?
 The Earth creates a magnetic field due to the
flow of iron/nickel materials in liquid outer core