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Name and describe the physical and compositional layers into which scientists divide the Earth.
Solution
VerifiedThe earth consists of several layers and which have different composition and different physical and chemical properties. The compositional layers are: the curst, the mantle, the core.
The Earth's crust is the thinnest and most superficial, solid, rocky layer that builds continents and ocean floor. The average thickness of the crust is about 20 km, or about 0.3% of the Earth's radius and 0.4% of the Earth's mass. Its composition mainly includes compounds of silicon and aluminum.
The mantle or is a thick shell, composed of dense rocks, which surrounds the outer liquid core, and is located directly below the relatively thin Earth's crust. It extends to a depth of 2,900 km and occupies 70% of the Earth's volume.
The Earth's core is mostly composed of a mixture of nickel and iron and has a radius of approximately 3,500 km.
The Earth's structure can also be divided according to its physical properties on: lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, inner core.
The lithosphere is a solid surface layer of the Earth that consists of the crust and part of the mantle. One third of the lithosphere is the earth's crust, and two thirds is the mantle. It is 15-300 km thick layer and consist huge pieces called tectonic plates.
The asthenosphere is an area within the Earth that extends between 100 and 200 kilometers below the surface. Regardless of its temperature, due to the high pressure, it is in a kind of plastic state and has a relatively low density.
The middle layer is called the mesosphere, 2500 km thick and it is the lowest layer of the earth's mantle.
The outer core is in a molten state or liquid and consists mostly of nickel and iron.
The inner core is in a solid state due to the huge pressure, about 1200 km in diameter.
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