Faculty: Geology Exploration
Specialty: Geology Engineering
Group: 123.6
Student: Asef Sadiqov
Teacher: Afet israfilova
Theme: The Earth
Earth’s Components
O Earth’s surface = ~30% land, ~70% water
O unlike any other known planet
O Hydrosphere = includes oceans, lakes, seas,
rivers, & groundwater
O Cryosphere = glaciers, snow, and sea ice
O Earth’s surface is not flat; it has topography
O Ignoring oceans, Earth’s surface is dominated
by two distinct elevations:
O Most land is 0-2 km above sea level
O Most of the sea floor is 3-5 km below sea level
Earth’s Components
O Earth’s elemental composition reflects mostly heavier
elements not blown away by solar wind during
formation of the solar system
O Most abundant elements
O Fe, O, Si, Mg
O Most common minerals consist of silica (SiO2) mixed in
varying proportions with other elements such as Fe, Mg,
Al, Ca, K, Na
O Felsic = more silica (less Fe/Mg) & less dense
O E.g. Granite
O Mafic = less silica (more Fe/Mg)
& more dense
O E.g. Gabbro / Basalt
O Range: Felsic / Intermediate / Mafic / Ultramafic
Earth Materials
•Elements combine in a variety of Earth materials.
–Organic compounds – Carbon-containing compounds.
• Most are residue from once-living creatures.
• Include wood, peat, lignite, coal, and oil.
• Geologically rare (decomposes in contact with oxygen).
•Elements combine in a variety of Earth materials.
–Minerals – Inorganic crystalline solids.
•Comprise rocks and, hence, most of the Earth.
•Most rocks on Earth are silicates (based on Si and O).
–Glasses – Non-crystalline mineral-like matter.
•Cool too quickly to form structure
–Rocks – Aggregates of minerals. There are many types.
•Igneous – Cooled from a liquid (melt).
•Sedimentary – Debris cemented from pre-existing rock.
•Metamorphic – Rock altered by pressure and temperature.
Earth’s Layers
Earth’s shape as a clue to the
layering of the earth
•If the Earth consisted of a thin
solid shell over a thick liquid
center, then the surface would
rise and fall with tides like the Thus, the Crust does not float over
ocean – This does not happen; a liquid interior
only the oceans rise and fall.
Earth’s Interior Layer
• –Crust
• •Continental
• •Oceanic
• –Mantle
• •Upper
• •Lower
• –Core
• •Outer – Liquid
• •Inner – Solid
• •The outermost “skin” of Earth with variable thickness.
The Crust •
•
–Thickest under mountain ranges (70 km – 40 miles).
–Thinnest under mid-ocean ridges (3 km – 2 miles).
• •The Mohorovičić discontinuity or “Moho” is the lower boundary.
• –Separates the crust from the upper mantle.
• –Discovered in 1909 by Andrija Mohorovicic.
• –Marked by a change in the velocity of seismic P waves.
Two Types of Crust
•Continental crust – Underlies the
continents.
–Avg. rock density about 2.7 g/cm3.
–Avg. thickness 35-40 km.
–Felsic composition. Avg. rock type
= Granite
•Oceanic crust – Underlies the ocean
basins.
–Density about 3.0 g/cm3.
–Avg. thickness 7-10 km.
–Mafic composition
Avg. rock type =
Basalt/Gabbro
Crustal Composition
•98.5% of the crust is comprised of just 8 elements.
•Oxygen is (by far!) the most abundant element in the crust.
–This reflects the importance of silicate (SiO2-based) minerals.
–As a large atom, oxygen occupies ~93% of crustal volume.
Earth’s Mantle
•Solid rock layer between the crust and the core.
•2,885 km thick, the mantle is 82% of Earth’s volume.
•Mantle composition = ultramafic rock called peridotite.
•Below ~100-150 km, the rock is hot enough to flow.
•It convects: hot mantle rises, cold mantle sinks.
•Three subdivisions: upper, transitional, and lower.
The Core
•An iron-rich sphere with a radius of 3,471 km.
•2 components with differing seismic wave behavior.
•Flow in the outer core generates the magnetic field.
–Outer core
•Liquid iron-nickel-sulfur
•2,255 km thick
•Density – 10-12 g/cm3
–Inner core
•Solid iron-nickel alloy
•Radius of 1,220 km.
•Density – 13 g/cm3
Earth’s Magnetic Field
Geodynamo
-The Earth’s magnetic field is produced
by the geodynamo
-Flow in the liquid iron outer core creates
a magnetic field
Magnetic field
- region affected by force emanating
from a magnet - grows stronger as
separating distance decreases - attracts
or repels magnetically charged or moving
electrically charged objects - compasses
work because Earth is a large magnet
Earth’s Magnetic Field
Magnetic field - Like a bar magnet, Earth’s magnetic field is a dipole,
(has both a N and S pole)
-Solar wind contains electromagnetic particles that are deflected by
earth’s field. These particles distort the shape of earth’s magnetic field
in space
-Van Allen belts – two belts in the inner magnetic field where high
energy cosmic rays are trapped. Protects us from solar radiation!
Earth’s Atmosphere
Earth’s Atmosphere Distinct layers of gas surround
the solid portion of the earth.
O Composition is ~uniform regardless of altitude
O 78% N2
O 21% O2
O All others ~1%
O Ar, CO2, CH4, H2O, Ne, CO, SO2
O Some other Planets have atmospheres too!
O None have N2 & O2 as dominant gasses
O Earth was oxygen-free until ~2.5 Ga
Earth’s Atmosphere
O Earth’s Atmosphere is divided into distinct layers based on
altitude
O Exosphere (very thin ~500 km)
O Atmosphere merges with space
O Thermosphere (>90 km)
O Where space shuttles orbit
O Mesosphere (50-90 km)
O Meteors burn up here
O Stratosphere (12-50 km)
O Stable air; good for jets
O Tropopause (11-12 km)
O Troposphere (0-11 km)
O Mixing layer
O All weather is limited to this layer
O “Tropo” = Greek for “turning”
Thank you for
your attention
