The Earth is composed of four different layers. The _________ is the layer that you
____________, and it is the most widely studied and understood. _____________ is much
__________ and has the ability to____________. The ___________________ and
_________________ are even hotter with pressures so great you would be
___________________ into a ball smaller than a ____________ if you were able to go to the center of the Earth!
The Crust
The crust is composed of _______________. The _______________ crust is mostly
___________. The ______________crust is __________. ______________ is much
_____________ than the _____________. Because of this the less dense continents ride on the denser oceanic plates.
The Lithosphere
The _____________ and the _____________________ of the ______________ together make up a zone of __________, ___________ rock called the _____________________.
The Lithospheric Plates
The crust of the Earth is broken into many pieces called _____________. The plates
"__________" on the _________, ________-rigid asthenosphere.
The Asthenosphere
The ______________________ is the _____________________ part of the ____________ mantle that _____________ like hot asphalt under a heavy weight.
The Mantle
The __________________ is the _____________ layer of the Earth at 2900 km thick. The middle mantle is composed of very __________________________ rock that ___________ like asphalt under a heavy weight. The __________________ of the middle mantle
(asthenosphere) is the reason that the crustal plates of the Earth _____________.

Convection Currents
The middle mantle, or ________________________, "flows" because of
________________________________. Convection currents are caused by the very
________________________ at the deepest part of the mantle _____________, then
__________________ and __________________ again --____________________this cycle over and over.
The Outer Core
The core of the Earth is like a _________ of very __________________. The outer core is
__________________ that the metals in it are all in the ___________________ state. The outer core is composed of the melted metals of ________________ and ____________.
The Inner Core
The _______________core of the Earth has ___________________ and
________________ so great that the metals are __________________ together and are not able to ___________ about like a liquid, but are forced to ____________ in place like a
_______________.
The solid layer with plasticity in the upper mantle that is located just below the lithosphere; lithospheric plates "float" and move on this layer
The thin solid outermost layer of Earth; made of less dense silicates and is continental (landmasses) or oceanic (ocean bottoms)
The sphere of solid nickel and iron at the center of
Earth; surrounded by the liquid outer core
The cool, rigid, outermost layer of Earth consists of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle; pieces of this layer are called lithospheric plates
The solid layer of Earth between the crust and the core; made of dense silicates
The outer shell of Earth's core; surrounds the inner core and is made of liquid nickel and iron
The condition of material in the asthenosphere, existing in a solid state yet having the ability to flow without being a liquid