Note: Remember you are responsible for graphs, charts and other items that form part of the overall summary of this topic.

You may find the Earth Science Reference Tables here.

Background

The Earth contains the following layers (spheres) or boundaries:

Crust – continental crust and oceanic crust

Mohorovicic Discontinuity (Moho) – the boundary between the crust and the Mantle

Mantle – forms three quarters of the volume of the Earth and two thirds of its weight. It can be divided into four spheres:

• lithosphere (cool and rigid)
• asthenosphere (hot, partially melted) 150 km thick on average
• mesosphere (transition region or middle mantle, but sometimes used for the rest of the mantle = deep mantle)
• lower mantle

D" layer ("dee double prime") – this may be the most dynamic and active zone, although it is very thin and the thickness is

                                               extremely variable.

Core - The core can be divided into

• a liquid outer core and

• a solid inner core

The following chart is from page 10 of the ESRT's; use it to answer the questions below.

1. How deep below the surface is the outer core?

2. How thick is the mantle?

3. List the four (4) main layers of the Earth from thinnest to thickest (include the asthenosphere as part of the mantle.)

a. _________________________

b. _________________________

c. _________________________

d. _________________________

4. What is the temperature of the Earth at a depth of 5,000 km?

5. At what depth is the temperature believed to be 3000º C?

6. What information from the diagram supports the belief that the outer core in liguid?

7. Describe the relationship between pressure and depth within the Earth.

8. What is the approximate density of the Continental crust?

9. What is the approximate density of Oceanic crust?

10. Describe the changes in density as depth within the Earth increases.

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