Did you know earth was composed of 4 layers? In our day to day lives we don’t think about what’s under us, and how important it is. The earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years old. Our planet earth is divided into 4 different layers; crust, mantle, outer core, inner core that make up the environment we live in today. For example, movement in the mantle and different amount of heat from the core can cause plates to shift which can cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The outermost layer is called the crust which is the thinnest layer and can be 8 to 4o kilometers thick.This layer is mostly composed of minerals and rocks.
The next layer is the mantle and it is about 2,900 kilometers thick. It is mostly made of solid rock. The upper mantle is hot and is about 1600 degrees fahrenheit, but the temperature in the lower mantle is even hotter, going over 4,000 degrees fahrenheit. The lower mantle has magma because of the increase of temperature that soften the rocks. The temperature rises each layer when reaching the core of the earth.
The third layer of the earth is the outer core, it is around 2,200 kilometers thick.The outer core is made of nickel and iron and is very hot, much hotter than the mantle. It is so hot the metals turn to liquid. The temperature goes up to around 4,000 to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The last layer is located in the center of earth and is called the inner core, and is 1,250 km thick. The inner core is the hottest layer and is about 10,000 degrees, which is as hot as the sun’s surface.The inner core is made of iron and nickel.The inner core is surprisingly solid because of the intense pressure being under the earth’s layers.
RELATED STORIES:
https://byjus.com/physics/layers-of-the-earth/
https://www.britannica.com/science/plate-tectonics/Earths-layers
https://www.snexplores.org/article/explainer-earth-layer-layer
https://volcano.oregonstate.edu/earths-layers-lesson-1
TAKE ACTION:
https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/earth-s-layers.htm
