6.1: Why It Matters
DESCRIBE EARTH INCLUDING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VARIOUS LAYERS; LEARN THE IMPLICATION OF THE DIFFERENT LAYERS
Introduction
Geologists cannot see directly into the interior of the Earth. They have to rely on various techniques and methods to infer the appearance and physical characteristics of earth’s interior. In this section, we will see how the Earth is structured, what the physical characteristics are, and just how this impacts us living on the Earth.
The Earth’s interior is the basis for geology. If you recall from the Plate Tectonics section, earth exists as we see it today because of plate tectonics. We also learned how plate tectonics is important in the formation of rock, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes. Studying the interior of the Earth helps learn about all of these and the processes that helped create the Earth and currently drive plate tectonics.
Please watch this short video and take a trip through the various layers of the Earth down to its core:
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze and compare properties, material, and layers within the Earth’s geosphere
- Use a current working model of the planet’s interior to describe the Earth’s interior and its magnetism
Ok, let’s get started! [Or insert another appropriate transition statement here.]
Contributors and Attributions
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Original content from Kimberly Schulte (Columbia Basin College) and supplemented by Lumen Learning . The content on this page is copyrighted under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.