Table of Contents
What are the physical properties of the core?
The inner core is a hot, dense ball of (mostly) iron. It has a radius of about 1,220 kilometers (758 miles). Temperature in the inner core is about 5,200° Celsius (9,392° Fahrenheit). The pressure is nearly 3.6 million atmosphere (atm).
What is the physical property of Earth?
Earth’s outer surface is its crust; a cold, thin, brittle outer shell made of rock. The crust is very thin, relative to the radius of the planet.
What is the physical and chemical properties of oceanic crust?
Oceanic crust is about 6 km (4 miles) thick. It is composed of several layers, not including the overlying sediment. The topmost layer, about 500 metres (1,650 feet) thick, includes lavas made of basalt (that is, rock material consisting largely of plagioclase [feldspar] and pyroxene).
What are the characteristics of crust mantle and core?
Earth’s Layers (The internal structure of the Earth) The crust is a silicate solid, the mantle is a viscous molten rock, the outer core is a viscous liquid, and the inner core is a dense solid.
What makes the mantle different from mafic rocks?
It is ultramafic in composition, meaning it has even more iron and magnesium than mafic rocks, and even less silica. Although the mantle has a similar chemical composition throughout, it has layers with different mineral compositions and different physical properties.
Which is the most important characteristic of the mantle?
The two most important things about the mantle are as follows: It is made of semi-solid rock. It is hot. Figure 1. Peridotite is formed of crystals of olivine (green) and pyroxene (black). Scientists know that the mantle is made of rock based on evidence from seismic waves, heat flow, and meteorites.
Why is the mantle the hottest part of the Earth?
Peridotite is rarely found at Earth’s surface. Scientists know that the mantle is extremely hot because of the heat flowing outward from it and because of its physical properties. Heat flows in two different ways within the Earth:
How are seismic waves used to explore the mantle?
Our most powerful technique for exploring the mantle is monitoring seismic waves from the world’s earthquakes. The two different kinds of seismic wave, P waves (analogous to sound waves) and S waves (like the waves in a shaken rope), respond to the physical properties of the rocks they go through.