What’s Inside the Earth?

Our home, the planet Earth is, in reality, a giant, solid rock spinning in space about its own axis. We, humans, live on its thin outer layer called the crust, but there are surely more layers on the inside of the Earth.

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Let’s find out more about the constituent layers of planet earth.

Rocky Crust (outermost layer)

The Earth’s rocky outer surface is called the crust. It forms the ocean floor as well as the solid ground of the lands continents which is where we humans live.

Molten Mantle

The mantle is a thick layer of hot rock, right below the crust. The temperature of this layer is so high that it can hardly be called a solid and is more accurately described as semi-solid. Some of it melts to form a molten liquid called magma.

Magma, being semi-solid moves around in the mantle very slowly.

Liquid Outer Core

Right below the molten mantle, there is a layer called the outer core. There is a hot liquid mixture of iron, nickel and sulphur present here. The temperature of this layer is also very high and burning hot.

The Earth’s Inner Core

At the very center of the earth, which is the exact middle of the Earth, there is a  solid, metallic core. The Earth’s inner core mostly comprises iron and nickel.

Video Lecture on Structure of the Earth

Facts

• The inner core of the Earth has a strong magnetic field!
• The temperature of the Earth’s inner core is 10,800 ºF (6,000 ºC)

Related Questions:

1. What are the various layers of the Eart?
2. Are all the layers of the Earth solid?
3. Which layer of the Earth do humans live on?

Objective Questions:

• _______ is an integral part of the Earth’s core.
• The molten liquid in the inner core is called ______.
• Ocean floors also form a part of the ______.
• The outer core has a mixture of _______ and ________.
• _______ is semi-solid and flowing.

True Or False:

1. Earth’s core has a low temperature: _____
2. The Earth’s core is completely metallic: ______
3. Humans can live in the core of the Earth: ______
4. Just like the interior of the Earth, we have similar layers in the atmosphere as well: ______
5. The Earth’s core has a strong magnetic field: ______