The Earth's Interior

Schematic View of the Interior of the Earth

Interior Zones:

Crust

Outer Layer of Earth
Oceanic Crust

~ 5 km thick; young (<2x10⁸ million years)

Continental Crust

~ 20-50 km thick; older (10⁸ - 10⁹ years)

Mantle

"Plastic" consistency
convection zones

Outer Core

liquid
Nickel (Ni) and Iron (Fe) composition
currents give rise to Earth's magnetic field

Inner Core

solid Ni and Fe
high pressure

How do we know this?