1-3 What is the structure of Earth?
Name: _______________________________________________
Objective:
Describe
Earth’s
major
parts:
the
Date: August 17, 2015
_______________,
the
_______________, and the _______________.
Key Terms:
crust: ________________________________________________________
mantle: ______________________________________________________
core: ________________________________________________________
A slightly flat sphere:
A _______________ sphere has _______________ real top. Every point
on the surface of a sphere is the _______________ _______________ from the
center. _______________ is a sphere, but _______________ a
_______________ one. It is slightly squashed, or _______________, at its
_______________.
Also, Earth _______________ out a little around its _______________.
_______________ is the distance _______________ a sphere through its center.
Earth is about 12,756 km in diameter at the equator. The diameter of Earth from pole to
pole is about 12,664 km.
1. Explain: How is Earth not a perfect sphere?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Earth’s Crust:
Earth has _______________ basic layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core.
The _______________ forms the _______________ _______________.
Beneath the _______________, the crust is from _____ to _____ km thick.
Beneath the _______________, the crust is from _____ to _____ km thick. The
_______________ crust is beneath _______________.
2. Contrast: How is ocean crust different from continental crust?
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________________________________________________________________________
Earth’s Mantle:
Earth’s mantle ranges from about 1,800 to 2,900 km thick. More than
_______________-_______________ of the _______________ of Earth is in
the _______________.
The _______________ includes _______________ of the
_______________ and the _______________ part of the _______________.
Below this, the _______________ _______________ like a very
_______________ _______________. Most of the _______________ is made
up of _______________ that _______________ very slowly.
3. Observe: Where is the mantle located?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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Earth’s Core:
Scientists think that the core is made mostly of _______________. The
core has two parts. The _______________ core is _______________. It is about
2,250 km thick. The _______________ core is _______________, with a radius
of about 1,300 km.
THE LAYERS OF EARTH
Layer
Thickness
Crust
5-70 km
Mantle
2,900 km
Outer Core
2,250 km
Inner Core
1,300 km
4. Calculate: Which is thicker, the mantle or the two core layers combined?
Checking Concepts
1. The crust is thickest beneath _______________.
2. The core is made mostly of _______________.
3. You can stand on Earth’s layer called the _______________.
4. The diameter of Earth at the equator is about _______ km.
Thinking Critically
5. Sequence: Arrange Earth’s layers in order, from thickest to thinnest.
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________________________________________________________________________
6. Analyze: A drilling rig can go down only 6 km. Where would you set it up to drill
into the mantle? Why.
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7. Infer: Which layer of Earth includes continents?
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Homework: 1-3 What is the structure of Earth?