Embedded Files
What you should know by the end of this lesson:
What you should know by the end of this lesson:
The internal structure of the Earth
Sources of Earth's Internal heat
Digital Workbook Task and Paper Jotter Task:
Collect a line drawn diagram of the Earth Layers
Glue it into your jotter or copy it to your OneNote Notebook
Colour and annotate each layer with the information below
Alternatively, you can create a table of the information instead of adding the annotations to each layer
Worksheet
Lesson 2 Earth Structure.docx
Earth Structure
Earth Structure
Inner Core
Inner Core
Thickness: It is 1200 km thick and is under extreme pressure.
Temperature: 3000°C - 5000°C
State: The central core is solid and made from nickel and iron.
Other facts: as hot as the sun’s surface. The solid core creates friction on the liquid outer core generating heat. It creates a magnetic field around our planet which as well as making compasses work, protects the Earth from solar winds which would strip away the ozone layer.
Outer Core
Outer Core
Thickness: 2200km thick
Temperature: 4000°C - 6000°C
State: This layer is made from molten metals (nickel and iron). As the Earth rotates, this layer moves very slowly, producing the Earth’s magnetic field.
Other facts: At these temperatures, many metals, such as copper, would boil, if there wasn’t so much pressure holding them together. This pressure is also responsible for generating a lot of heat between the outer and inner cores.
Mantle
Mantle
Thickness: 2900km thick
Temperature: 1300°C - 5000°C
State: The rocks here are very hot and are partly melted (molten). They are called magma. There are huge currents in the mantle, which causes the magma to move called convection currents.
Other facts: Makes up 84% of Earth’s total volume.
Crust
Crust
Thickness: Continental – 70 km, Oceanic – 5-8km thick.
Temperature: -70°C - 750°C
State: The continental crust - this is the relatively cold and solid part of the Earth. The continents are made up of granite type rocks. The oceanic crust - This layer forms the floor of the oceans, it is solid and is made of a heavy rock called basalt.
Other facts: Earth’s crust is made up of different types of rock;
Igneous Rocks –formed from magma, which is a liquid rock that has cooled and hardened inside the Earth.
Sedimentary Rocks – these rocks form over long periods of time from broken rocks, chemical sediment and debris.
Earth's Internal Heat Sources
Earth's Internal Heat Sources
Digital Workbook Task and Paper Jotter Task:
Read each way Earth creates its own internal heat
Write them into your notes
Draw a quick diagram that would show each one in action
Extra-Terrestrial Impacts
Extra-Terrestrial Impacts
during Earth’s formation the kinetic energy contained in colliding extra-terrestrial bodies was converted to heat energy upon impact
Gravitational Contraction
Gravitational Contraction
in the early stages of formation, the Earth contracted into a smaller volume, resulting in gravitational potential energy converting to heat energy. At the same time, frictional heat was generated by denser iron and nickel rich material sinking to the core.
Radioactive Decay
Radioactive Decay
disintegration of natural radioactive elements in the mantle and crust generates heat energy
Return to the main contents page and complete the quiz to check how successful you have been in this lesson.
Return to the main contents page and complete the quiz to check how successful you have been in this lesson.
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