Crust
Consistency: Solid
Composition: Made of continental and oceanic crust. The elements oxygen, silicon, aluminum, and iron
make up about 90% of the crust.
Temperature: 400°C (750°F) at the boundary between crust and mantle
Depth: 3-40 km (1-25 mi)
Mantle
Consistency: Flows with the consistency of asphalt
Composition: Sometimes divided into an upper and lower mantle. The elements oxygen, magnesium,
silicon, and iron make up about 90% of the mantle.
Temperature: 4,030°C (7,290°F) at boundary between mantle and outer core
Depth: Boundary between mantle and outer core is 2,900 km (1,800 mi) below the earth’s surface
Outer Core
Consistency: Liquid
Composition: Iron and nickel
Temperature: 5,730°C (10,340°F) at boundary between outer and inner core
Depth: Boundary between outer core and inner core is 5,150 km (3,200 mi) below the earth’s surface
Inner Core
Consistency: Solid
Composition: Iron and nickel
Temperature: 6,000°C (10,800°F) in earth’s center
Depth: The earth’s center is 6,370 km (3,960 mi) below the earth’s surface
Other ways of subdividing earth’s layers:
Lithosphere
The earth’s crust and uppermost part of the mantle
Asthenosphere
The upper mantle
Mesosphere
The lower mantle
1) What are the two types of crust covering the earth? ___________________________________.
2) What three elements are common to both the crust and the mantle?
_____________________________________________________________________________________.
3) The earth’s mantle flows with the consistency of ______________________.
4) Which layer is earth’s thickest layer? _______________________.
5) Is the outer core liquid or solid? _______________________.
6) Is the inner core liquid or solid? _______________________.
7) What two elements make up both the inner and outer core? _________________________________.
8) The earth’s center is approximately ______________kilometers or ____________ miles beneath its
surface.
9) The earth’s center is _____________ °C or _______________°F.
10) As depth below earth’s surface increases, ___________________ increases.