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Module 2 The Earth Surface, Structure & Age

The document describes the structure and layers of the Earth. It is composed of a crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. The crust is the outermost layer and is divided into continental and oceanic crust. Below the crust is the mantle, which is divided into upper and lower mantle. The outer core lies below the mantle and is liquid. The inner core is solid and the deepest layer of the Earth.

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Owene Miles Aguinaldo
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127 views25 pages

Module 2 The Earth Surface, Structure & Age

The document describes the structure and layers of the Earth. It is composed of a crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. The crust is the outermost layer and is divided into continental and oceanic crust. Below the crust is the mantle, which is divided into upper and lower mantle. The outer core lies below the mantle and is liquid. The inner core is solid and the deepest layer of the Earth.

Uploaded by

Owene Miles Aguinaldo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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GEOLOGY FOR ENGINEERS

CE211
Geology: The study of the Earth and its systems

You are here!


The Earth: Surface, Structure & Age
Dimensions & Surface Relief

 RADIUS
AT THE EQUATOR 6 370 KM
POLAR RADIUS 6 348 KM

 SHAPE
The Earth is not quite a perfect sphere as it is more ellipsoidal
than spherical.
OBLATE SPHEROID
 SURFACE AREA
TOTAL SURFACE AREA 510 x 106 km2
LAND AREA 35%
Dimensions & Surface Relief

 MOUNTAINS
MT. EVEREST MAXIMUM AT 8.9 KM
 AVERAGE HEIGHT OF LAND
0.86 KM

 OCEAN FLOOR
MARIANAS TRENCH GREATEST AT 11 KM
 MEAN DEPTH OF THE OCEAN FLOOR
3.80 KM
Dimensions & Surface Relief

 The oceans, seas, lakes and rivers are collectively referred to as the
hydrosphere; and the whole is surrounded by a gaseous envelope
referred to as the atmosphere.
Layers of EARTH
Prelude: Earth Systems

Atmosphere

 Hydrosphere

 Cryosphere

 Solid Earth

 Biosphere
Atmosphere

Blanket of gases surrounding the Earth

 Protection from Sun’s heat & UV rays

 Weather: due to exchange of energy


 between Earth’s surface & atmospher
 between atmosph. & outer space

 Strongly interacts water/ surface


Hydrosphere

Water portion of Earth

 Oceans (most prominent) 71%


of surface of Earth

 Streams, lakes, glaciers, underground water

 Atmosphere
Cryosphere

Icy portion of Earth’s crust

 Glaciers

 Permafrost and ground ice

 Polar ice caps

 Frozen polar seas


Biosphere

 Earth’s surface and subsurface to depths of a few


kilometers

 Life occupies an extreme range of environments

 Life strongly interacts with the atmosphere, the


hydrosphere and the solid earth (these interactions are
called ecology!)
The Earth’s Interior
The Earth’s Interior

 Our knowledge of the Earth’s interior is at present based on those


direct investigations that can be made to depths of a few kilometers
from the surface, together with extrapolations to lower levels. Studies
of the following reveal much about the interior of the Earth:
HEAT FLOW
GEOSTATIC PRESSURE
EARTHQUAKES
ISOSTATIC BALANCE
The Earth: Temperature Gradient & Density

 AVERAGE RATE OF INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE


30°c PER KILOMETER

This rate is higher near a source of heat such as an


active volcanic center, and is also affected by the
thermal conductivity of the rocks at a particular
locality.

There will be a depth at which it becomes


essentially a viscous fluid which defines the base of
a region known as lithosphere (lithos for stone).
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The Earth: Temperature Gradient & Density

 MEAN MASS DENSITY OF EARTH


5.527 g/cm³
In order to bring the mean density to 5.5 there
must be denser material at lower levels within
the Earth.

These have shown that our planet has a core of


heavy materials with a density of about 8. Two
metals, iron and nickel, have densities a little
below and above 8 respectively, thus the core is
believed to be a mixture of these composed
mainly of iron.
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The Earth’s Interior: Core, Mantle & Crust

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The Earth’s Interior: Core, Mantle & Crust
The Earth’s Interior: INNER CORE

 The deepest layer is a solid iron ball, about 1,500


miles (2,400 kilometers) in diameter or about INNER CORE
three-quarters that of the moon.

 The iron isn't pure — scientists believe it


contains sulfur and nickel, plus smaller amounts
of other elements.

 Estimates of its temperature vary, but it is


probably somewhere between 9,000 and
13,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,000 and 7,000
degrees Celsius).
The Earth’s Interior: INNER CORE

 The pressures around the inner core are


immense as well. That is, over three million INNER CORE
times greater than on the Earth’s surface.

 Although this inner core is white hot, the


pressure is so high the iron cannot melt.
The Earth’s Interior: OUTER CORE

 Above the inner core is the outer core, a shell of


liquid iron. OUTER CORE

 This layer is cooler but still very hot, perhaps


7,200 to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit (4,000 to
5,000 degrees Celsius).

 It too is composed mostly of iron, plus


substantial amounts of sulfur and nickel. It
creates the Earth's magnetic field and is about
1,400 miles (2,300 kilometers) thick.
The Earth’s Interior: LOWER MANTLE

 The mantle is the Earth’s thickest layer about 1,800


miles (2,900 kilometers) thick and appears to be LOWER MANTLE
divided into two layers: the upper mantle and the
lower mantle. The boundary between the two lies
about 465 miles (750 kilometers) beneath the
Earth's surface.

 Near its upper edges, somewhere between about


100 and 200 kilometers (62 to 124 miles)
underground, the mantle’s temperature reaches the
melting point of rock. Indeed, it forms a layer of
partially melted rock known as the asthenosphere.
Geologists believe this weak, hot, slippery part of
the mantle is what Earth’s tectonic plates ride upon
and slide across.
The Earth’s Interior: UPPER MANTLE

 The mantle’s outermost zone is relatively cool


and rigid. It behaves more like the crust above UPPER MANTLE
it. Together, this uppermost part of the mantle
layer and the crust are known as the
lithosphere.
The Earth’s Interior: CRUST

 The crust is the outermost layer of the Earth. It


is the familiar landscape on which we live: rocks, CRUST
soil, and seabed. It ranges from about five miles
(eight kilometers) thick beneath the oceans,
called the oceanic crust, to an average of 25
miles (40 kilometers) thick beneath the
continents, called the continental crust.
Earth’s internal structure

Continental crust – Underlies the continents.

 Avg. rock density about 2.7 g/cm3.


 Avg. thickness 35-40 km.
 Felsic composition. Avg. rock type = Granite

Oceanic crust – Underlies the ocean basins.


 Density about 3.0 g/cm3.
 Avg. thickness 7-10 km.
 Mafic composition
 Avg. rock type =Basalt/Gabbro

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