Earth’s Layers – Earth’s Composition

 

The Crust of Earth

It is the outermost and the thinnest layer of the earth’s surface, about 8 to 40 km thick. The crust varies greatly in thickness and composition – as small as 5 km thick in some places beneath the oceans, while under some mountain ranges it extends up to 70 km in depth.

The crust is made up of two layers­ an upper lighter layer called the Sial (Silicate + Aluminium) and a lower density layer called Sima (Silicate + Magnesium).The average density of this layer is 3 gm/cc.

The Mantle of Earth

This layer extends up to a depth of 2900 km.

Mantle is made up of 2 parts: Upper Mantle or Asthenosphere (up to about 500 km) and Lower Mantle. Asthenosphere is in a semi­molten plastic state, and it is thought that this enables the lithosphere to move about it. Within the asthenosphere, the velocity of seismic waves is considerably reduced (Called ‘Low Velocity

The line of separation between the mantle and the crust is known as Mohoviricic Discontinuity.

 

The Core of Earth

Beyond a depth of 2900 km lies the core of the earth.The outer core is 2100 km thick and is in molten form due to excessive heat out there. Inner core is 1370 km thick and is in plasticform due to the combined factors of excessive heat and pressure. It is made up of iron and nickel (Nife) and is responsible for earth’s magnetism. This layer has the maximum specific gravity.The temperatures in the earth’s core lie between 2200°c and 2750°c. The line of separation between the mantle and the core is called Gutenberg­Wiechert Discontinuity.

OPSC  Notes brings Prelims and Mains programs for OPSC  Prelims and OPSC  Mains Exam preparation. Various Programs initiated by OPSC  Notes are as follows:- For any doubt, Just leave us a Chat or Fill us a querry––

Leave a Comment

[jetpack_subscription_form title=”Subscribe to OPSC Notes” subscribe_text=”Never Miss any OPSC important update!” subscribe_button=”Sign Me Up” show_subscribers_total=”1″]