Earth Layers

Front

What is the oceanic crust?

Back

The oceanic crust is the part of Earth's crust that underlies the ocean basins, and it is generally more dense than continental crust.

Front

What is the continental crust?

Back

The continental crust is the part of Earth's crust that forms the continents and is less dense than oceanic crust.

Front

Which layer of Earth is the thinnest?

Back

The crust is the thinnest layer of the Earth.

Front

What is the lithosphere?

Back

The lithosphere is the outermost, rigid layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle.

Front

What is the asthenosphere?

Back

The asthenosphere is the semi-fluid layer of the mantle located beneath the lithosphere, allowing tectonic plates to move.

Front

What is the mantle?

Back

The mantle is the thick layer of Earth located between the crust and the outer core, composed of silicate rocks that are semi-solid.

Front

What is the outer core?

Back

The outer core is the liquid layer of the Earth's core, composed mainly of iron and nickel, and is responsible for Earth's magnetic field.

Front

What is the inner core?

Back

The inner core is the solid, innermost layer of the Earth, composed primarily of iron and nickel, and is extremely hot.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Tectonic plates are large pieces of the lithosphere that move and interact at their boundaries, causing geological activity.

Front

How deep have we drilled into the Earth's crust?

Back

We have only drilled a little bit, like 1/100th of the way through the crust.