Layers of Earth

As you travel from the inner core to the crust, how would temperature, pressure and density of the material change?

• The would all increase
• The would all decrease.
• Nothing, the layers are made of the same material throughout
• Temperature would decrease, but pressure and density would increase

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-1

NGSS.HS-ESS2-3

The deepest borehole ever drilled was the Kola Superdeep Borehole located in Russia.  It's depth is approximately 12 Km.  To reach the center of Earth, we would need to drill over 6,000 Km.  How do scientists study the deepest part of Earth if we've only drilled a fraction of the way through the crust? 

• By sending humans directly into the inner core
• By visiting deep mines that go deep into the inner core 
• Sending robots deep into the inner core
• By recording and studying seismic waves (earthquake P and S waves) 

Scientists think that convection currents that move the plates flow in Earth's

• Continental crust
• oceanic crust
• Asthenosphere
• Lithosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Geologist believe the inner core is solid but hotter than the outer core which is liquid.  What is their reasoning for this?

• This is not what they believe.  Instead they think the inner core is liquid because with depth temperature increases causing the iron to melt.
• Because Earth is a sphere the interior takes on the same shape.
• Because all of the pressure from the overlying layers force the material to be a solid despite the hot temperatures.
• They have no evidence to support this claim, its just a guess.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-3

The mantle of Earth is made of a plastic like material that when its heated, the material rises, cools, sinks and is then re-heated.  This constant flow of a fluid is called

• a conduction current
• a hot spot
• a volcanic eruption
• a convection current

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

The Earth is made up of two types of crust.  Which is more dense?

• Oceanic crust -basalt
• Oceanic crust- granite
• Continental crust- granite
• continental crust- basalt

Which layer does the lithosphere (the outer most layer plus the crust) float on top of?

• the crust
• lithosphere
• asthenosphere
• outer core

What information is used to determine when one layer of earth stops and the next layer ends?

• temperature
• mineral composition
• density
• all of the following is used

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Which layer of Earth makes up the crust and the upper most part of the mantle.  This is the rigid layer that is broken into sections called plates.

• Crust
• Lithosphere
• Asthenosphere
• Mantle

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Which layer is the thinnest?

• Crust

• Mantle

• Outer corr

• Inner core