Layers of the Earth and Tectonic Plates!
Introduction
The Earth is a fascinating planet that is made up of four different layers. Discover
what the mantle and inner core are and find out about how tectonic plates work in
this report.
The inner and outer core
The inner core and outer core are both made out of iron and nickel. The inner core is
a solid, and the outer core is liquid, which allows the inner core to spin. The inner
core spins the same way as Earth except a little faster. When the inner core spins, it
gives off electrical currents, which create our magnetic field. The inner and outer
cores temperature is around 6,000 degrees Celsius which is around the temperature
of the surface of the sun. The inner core is around 1,220
km in diameter, and the outer core is about 2,300 km
thick.
The mantle and the crust
The mantle is made up of oxygen, metals, aluminium, silicate, magnesium, iron and
magma. The mantle is around 2,890 km deep, and has a temperature of 5000-9000
Celsius. The mantle can be stickier in places where volcanoes explode. The crust is
made of sand, rock, earth, water and dead animals and plants, it also holds the
tectonic plates. From land, the crust is 35 km thick until there is mantle, and from the
sea bed, the crust is only 5 km thick.
Tectonic plates
When tectonic plates rub together they create earthquakes, and when they push
together, they create mountains which form on the tectonic plates fault lines (plate
boundaries) tectonic plates are constantly rubbing and moving but only sometimes
we can feel it, and because the tectonic plates are in the crust, we can’t see the fault
lines. Here are the names of the tectonic plates
Conclusion
Tectonic Plates, Crust, Mantle, Inner core and Outer core these are all part of the
fascinating earth where we live. Huge and wonderful the Earth still has so many
things we have not discovered yet.
By: Iris and Hannah 