20. Planet Earth in Profile: The Layered Interior

On top of the Hoodoos where lots of sedimentary layered valleys can be seen, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada.

Earth Crust Layers

At my class Drumheller trip, we saw layers of soil and rocks (and coal) in most valleys and they are representing a small fraction of Earth’s origin. The Earth is made of mainly four different bodies: solid inner core, liquid outer core, solid lower mantle, and the upper mantle. Solid Inner Core has a radius of 1220 km, the pressure within is able to keep nickel and iron in solid state. Moving upward, a 2250 km thick Liquid Outer Core consists of molten iron and nickel since the pressure is much lower. Outside of that is the Solid Lower Mantle about 2230 km thick, and containing various oxides. Upper Mantle is the thinnest of all at the border of the Earth’s crust (670 km), it is partially molten and interacts with the crust in many ways.