YAML
Earth's Structure - YAML
Earth's structure consists of four main layers from the surface to the center: crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. These layers were discovered through differences in seismic wave propagation characteristics, each having distinct compositions, states, and physical properties. The crust is the thinnest layer where life exists, the mantle comprises about 80% of Earth's volume as a rock layer, the outer core is the source of geomagnetism composed of liquid iron-nickel, and the inner core is a metallic sphere that remains solid under extreme pressure.
Earth science
geology
seismology
crust
mantle
core
plate tectonics
- code: "1"
slug: "crust"
name: "Crust"
description: "The thin outermost solid layer of Earth."
depth:
surface: "0 km"
bottom: "5-60 km"
thickness:
value: "5-60"
unit: "km"
composition: "Granite (continental), basalt (oceanic), silica, aluminum, oxides"
state: "Solid"
density:
value: "2.2-2.9"
unit: "g/cm³"
temperature:
value: "0-1000"
unit: "°C"
- code: "2"
slug: "mantle"
name: "Mantle"
description: "The thick rocky layer between the crust and core, comprising about 80% of Earth's volume."
depth:
surface: "5-60 km"
bottom: "~2,900 km"
thickness:
value: "~2,800"
unit: "km"
composition: "Peridotite, pyroxene, olivine, magnesium, iron, silicate minerals"
state: "Solid (viscous over long timescales)"
density:
value: "3.4-5.6"
unit: "g/cm³"
temperature:
value: "1,000-3,000"
unit: "°C"
- code: "3"
slug: "outer-core"
name: "Outer Core"
description: "A layer of liquid iron and nickel that generates Earth's magnetic field."
depth:
surface: "~2,900 km"
bottom: "~5,100 km"
thickness:
value: "~2,200"
unit: "km"
composition: "Iron, nickel, small amounts of light elements (oxygen, sulfur, silicon, etc.)"
state: "Liquid"
density:
value: "9.9-12.2"
unit: "g/cm³"
temperature:
value: "4,000-5,000"
unit: "°C"
- code: "4"
slug: "inner-core"
name: "Inner Core"
description: "The solid iron-nickel center of Earth."
depth:
surface: "~5,100 km"
bottom: "~6,400 km"
thickness:
value: "~1,200"
unit: "km (radius)"
composition: "Iron, nickel, small amounts of precious metals"
state: "Solid"
density:
value: "12.8-13.1"
unit: "g/cm³"
temperature:
value: "~6,000"
unit: "°C"