Name: ______________________________________
Period: ____
The Structure of Earth
System- a group of parts that work together
Energy- the _______________ do work. Earth gets its this ability to work (energy) _________________ and
from the center of the earth as it cools.
Earth itself is a _____________________, but on earth there are open systems or spheres that
influence one another.
The
Spheres of the Earth
System:
Atmosphere:
the relatively thin layer of _____________that forms earth’s outermost layer
o Mostly ____________________ &______________________
o Dust particles
o Cloud droplets
o ___________________________
Geosphere: nearly all of earth’s ______________
o __________________
o Metal & other __________________
o Has three layers
_____sphere: contains all of Earth’s ______________
o Oceans, glaciers, rivers, lakes, ground water, & water vapor
o Covers ¾ of the Earth
o Mostly salt. Only a tiny portion is _________________.
_____sphere: the part of Earth where ___________________________.
Feedback
= the ________________________ between the spheres
Inside Earth
 _______________ is the study of what’s on and in the Earth.
 Geologists are scientists who study the processes that create Earth’s features and search for clues
about Earth’s ________________.
o
They study the ________________ and ________________ characteristics of rock, the material
that forms Earth’s hard surface.
o
They map where different types of rocks are found and describe __________________, the
features sculptured in rock and soil by water, wind, and waves.
o

They study how ____________ (waves caused by earthquakes) ______________ through earth.
Two forces Change Earth’s Surface:
o
o
__________________ forces – shape the surface by building up mountains and landmasses.
Destructive forces - slowly wear away __________________
What’s inside?
 Three main layers:
o
____________________
o
____________________
o
____________________
THE CRUST
 The layer of rock that forms Earth’s __________________ skin.
o
Includes dry land and the ________________________.
o
Approx. ____________________ thick.
o
___________________ – oxygen, silicon, aluminum, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium,
magnesium
o
Temperature ___________________
Two Types
 Oceanic crust - the crust beneath the ___________________
o The ___________________ crust is under the ocean. (Basalt – dark, fine-grained rock)
 ___________________ crust – the crust that forms the continents and some major islands. (Granite –
coarse grained rock)
The deeper down into Earth, the greater the ______________ and ___________________.
(just below earth the rock is cool, but after about 20meters down the temperature
increases nearly 1oC/40m)
THE MANTLE
 The layer of ___________________ below the crust
 Starts ___________________beneath the surface (40-3040km) down
o Approx. ___________________ thick
o
___________________ – silicon, oxygen, iron, magnesium
o
Temperature – ___________________
 THREE mantle layers
o Lithosphere – brittle rock
o
Asthenosphere – less rigid rock (___________________)
o
Mesosphere – hot but more ___________ due to pressure
THE CORE
 Makes up 1/3 of Earth’s _________________, but only 15% of its volume.
o
Composition – ___________________ and _________________
 Outer core – layer of ______________________ that surrounds the inner core
o
The liquid metal causes ___________________
o
Temperature – ___________________
o
Approx. ___________________ thick
 Inner core – dense ball of __________ _____________ under extreme pressure.
o
The solid inner core spins at a slightly ________________ rate than the spinning of the whole
Earth.
 Earth’s ___________________ field is created by this movement (and convection
currents)
 Causes the planet to act like a giant bar ________________
o
Temperature – ___________________
o
Approx. ___________________ thick
BACK TO THOSE CURRENTS. . .
Heat Transfer (from warm to cool):
 Conduction-by _____________
 Convection – by the ________________________
 Radiation- by ___________
Density = mass/volume
So. . .
Heat from the core (and the mantle itself) act like a stove top heating soup. . . this causes
convection _______________ (hot to cold- rising & sinking)