Plate Tectonics and Inside Earth

Key Questions

  • Answer:

    There are four major layers.

    Explanation:

    They are...

    The Crust:

    • Very thin
    • The part you live on top of

    • Separated into plates (when they knock against each other Earthquakes happen.)

    The Mantle:

    • The largest layer (1800 miles thick)

    • Flows because of very high temperatures

    • The movement of the plates is caused by this flowing

    The Outer Core:

    • Composed of the metals Nickel and Iron

    • Completely liquid because of extremely high temperatures (4000-9000 degrees Fahrenheit)

    The Inner Core:

    • Temperatures and pressures are so high that the metals are squeezed together and are not able to move about like a liquid, but are forced to vibrate in place as a solid.

    http://sciencelearning-geology.weebly.com/layers-of-the-earth.html

    Note that some of these layers can be broken down and described further.

    http://www.iupui.edu/~g115/mod04/pop02.html

Questions