Explore planet Earth's interior structure; the crust, the mantle, and the core
Earth is composed of three layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core.
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Transcript
[Music in]
NARRATOR: Earth measures more than 12,000 kilometers in diameter, but our direct knowledge of our planet extends only to its outer layer. In fact, up till now, no drilling has penetrated more than 15 kilometers into the ground.
With indirect observations, such as the study of earthquakes, scientists have been able to establish a model of the interior of the planet. The outer layer of Earth, composed of solid rock, is called the crust. At a depth of 10 to 70 kilometers, the crust is very thin on the scale of Earth as a whole. The crust sits on the mantle, which takes up 80 percent of the planet's volume. The upper part of the mantle is rigid, while at greater depths the rock is partially melted at temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Celsius. Finally, the center of Earth is called the core. It is an extremely dense area composed mainly of metals, where the temperature is above 6,000 degrees Celsius. Part of this heat, carried by the slow movement of molten matter, rises toward the surface and warms Earth's crust.
[Music out]
NARRATOR: Earth measures more than 12,000 kilometers in diameter, but our direct knowledge of our planet extends only to its outer layer. In fact, up till now, no drilling has penetrated more than 15 kilometers into the ground.
With indirect observations, such as the study of earthquakes, scientists have been able to establish a model of the interior of the planet. The outer layer of Earth, composed of solid rock, is called the crust. At a depth of 10 to 70 kilometers, the crust is very thin on the scale of Earth as a whole. The crust sits on the mantle, which takes up 80 percent of the planet's volume. The upper part of the mantle is rigid, while at greater depths the rock is partially melted at temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Celsius. Finally, the center of Earth is called the core. It is an extremely dense area composed mainly of metals, where the temperature is above 6,000 degrees Celsius. Part of this heat, carried by the slow movement of molten matter, rises toward the surface and warms Earth's crust.
[Music out]
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