Earth's Interior (U3L1) Flashcards
How was the solar system formed?
The solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a huge gas and dust cloud. This cloud collapsed and formed into a disk, because of gravity. Then the sun formed at the center and the plantels slowly formed around it. The planets and sun formed because of collisions.
What materials formed Earth?
Dense rock, particals, gasses, dust, and metals.
What are the sources of energy in Earth’s interior?
Radioactive decay- when unstable materials were breaking down into stable materials, and because of this a large amount of energy was released in the form of heat
gravity- the gravitational potential energy is being converted to heat energy
Collision- kinetic energy is being converted into heat
How were Earth’s layers formed?
Differentiation - the process where the force of gravity pulled high density materials toward the center, and materials with low densities were pushed toward the surface.
What is the crust?
Crust - thin, divided into two sections: the continental and oceanic. MADE of oxygen, silicon, and aluminum
What is the lithosphere?
- FIRST LAYER
- brittle and solid
- SOLID
What is the Asthenosphere?
- SECOND LAYER
- softer puddy like
- soft mantel
- SOLID
What is the Mesosphere?
- THIRD LAYER
- flows slower than rock in the asthenosphere
- Harder dried out puddy
- lower part of the mantle
What is the outer core?
- FOURTH LAYER
- liquid
What is the inner core?
- FIFTH LAYER
- solid
What are seismic waves?
Seismic waves are the waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of rock within the earth or an explosion. They are the energy that travels through the earth and is recorded on
seismographs.
How do scientists detect seismic waves?
With seismographs.
What are the two main types of seismic waves?
- Body waves - travel through earth’s interior layers ( S and P waves)
- Surface waves - travel only along the surface of the planet
What does the study of seismic waves reveal about Earth’s interior?
- P waves and s waves reveal layers and what the layers are made of
- shows how earth can shift
- shows that there is energy in the core
What are P waves?
- P waves are body waves
- P waves are also primary (meaning it is the first wave to come when a earthquake happens
- P wave cause NO damage
- can travel through liquids and solids
What are S waves?
- S waves are body waves
- S waves are secondary (Meaning that second waves in an earthquake)
- S waves DO cause damage
- can only travel through solids
What other methods and data add to the understanding of Earth’s interior?
- volcanic eruptions
- earthquakes
- meteorites
- drilling into the earth
What is the mantel?
Mantel- thick, middle layer. MADE of magnesium, less aluminum, and less silicon
What is the core?
Core - MADE of iron and nickel
- middle/center of the earth
