THE

STRUCTURE OF
THE EARTH

The interiorstructure of the Earthis layered in

spherical shells, like anonion. These layers can be
defined by either theirchemicalor theirrheological
properties.Earthhas an outersilicatesolidcrust, a
highlyviscousmantle, a liquidouter corethat is much
less viscous than the mantle, and a solidinner core.
Scientific understanding of the internal structure of
the Earth is based on observations of topographyand
bathymetry, observations ofrockinoutcrop, samples
brought to the surface from greater depths by
volcanic activity, analysis of theseismic wavesthat
pass through the Earth, measurements of the
gravitationalandmagnetic fieldsof the Earth, and
experiments with crystalline solids at pressures and
temperatures characteristic of the Earth's deep
interior.

Mass
The force exerted by
Earth's gravitycan be used to
calculate itsmass, and by
estimating the volume of the
Earth, its averagedensitycan
be calculated. Astronomers can
also calculate Earth's mass
from its orbit and effects on
nearby planetary bodies.

Structure
The structure of Earth can be defined in two
ways: by mechanical properties such as
rheology, or chemically. Mechanically, it can
be divided intolithosphere,asthenosphere,
mesospheric mantle,outer core, and the
inner core. The interior of Earth is divided
into 5 important layers. Chemically, Earth
can be divided into the crust, upper mantle,
lower mantle, outer core, and inner core.
The geologic component layers of Earth are
at the following depths below the surface:

Earth's gravity according to the preliminary reference

earth model (PREM). Comparison to approximations
using constant and linear density for Earth's interior

Core
Main articles:inner coreandouter core
The average density of Earth is 5,515kg/m3.
Since the average density of surface material
is only around 3,000kg/m3, we must conclude
that denser materials exist within Earth's core.
Seismic measurements show that the core is
divided into two parts, a "solid"inner corewith
aradiusof ~1,220km and a liquidouter core
extending beyond it to a radius of ~3,400km.
The densities are between 9,900 and
12,200kg/m3in the outer core and 12,600
13,000kg/m3in the inner core.

Mantle
World map showing the position of theMoho.
Main article:Mantle (geology)
Earth's mantleextends to a depth of 2,890km,
making it the thickest layer of Earth. The upper
mantle is divided into the lithosphere mantle
and the asthenosphere. The upper and lower
mantle are separated by thetransition zone.
The lowest part of the mantle next to the
core-mantle boundaryis known as the D layer.
Thepressureat the bottom of the mantle is
~140 GPa(1.4 Math). The mantle is composed
of silicaterocks that are rich in iron and
magnesium relative to the overlying crust .

Crust
Main article:Crust (geology)
The crust ranges from 570km (~344 miles) in
depth and is the outermost layer. The thin parts are
theoceanic crust, which underlie the ocean basins
(510km) and are composed of dense (mafic) iron
magnesiumsilicateigneous rocks, likebasalt. The
thicker crust iscontinental crust, which is less
dense and composed of (felsic)sodiumpotassium
aluminiumsilicate rocks, likegranite. The rocks of
the crust fall into two major categories sial and
sima (Suess,18311914). It is estimated that sima
starts about 11km below theConrad discontinuity
(a second order discontinuity).