Scheme of the structure of the earth's crust drawing. The structure of the globe. Exosphere: the boundary between the atmosphere and space

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Description composition of the Earth for children with a photo: the structure of the planet in the picture, what the crust, mantle and core consists of, what the upper shell looks like, the thickness of the layers.

Earth is the third planet from the Sun, but also the only planet so far in the Solar System and the known Universe on which an advanced form of life lives. This is a home that children will benefit from exploring. Let's take a closer look at the structure of the Earth, with our photos, diagrams and drawings to help.

Begin explanation for children about the composition of the Earth follows from the fact that we live on a unique planet, since it has water. Of course, there are other worlds, as well as satellites, where there is an atmosphere, ice and even oceans, but only we are lucky to have all the factors to create and maintain life.

For the little ones It is important to know that the earth's oceans occupy approximately 70% of the entire surface, and go 4 km deep. In liquid form, fresh water is found in rivers, lakes and in the form of atmospheric water vapor, which leads to great weather variability.

Should explain to the children that the Earth is multi-layered. The outer one is represented by the bark. It is filled with ocean basins and continents. The earth's crust occupies 5-75 km. The densest parts are hidden under the continents, and the thinnest parts are hidden under the oceans. Now let's study the composition of the Earth in layers: crust, mantle, core.

The Earth's crust - an explanation for children

The earth's crust contains elements such as: oxygen (47%), silicon (27%), aluminum (8%), iron (5%), calcium (4%), and 2% each of magnesium, potassium and sodium. It is created in the form of giant plates that move through the liquid mantle. Important explain to the children, that, although we do not notice, the plates do not stop moving. When they collide, we feel earthquakes, and if one runs over the other, a deep trench or mountains are formed. These movements are described by the theory of plate tectonics.

Earth's mantle - explanation for children

Further, 2890 km thick, is the mantle. It is represented by silicate rocks rich in magnesium and iron. Due to the intense heat, rocks are created. They then cool down and return to the core again. This is believed to be what sets tectonic plates in motion. When the mantle manages to break through the crust, you see a volcanic eruption.

Earth's core - explanation for children

Surely, even for the little ones It is clear that the core is located inside the Earth. Interestingly, it consists of two halves: the inner (solid) with a radius of 1220 km is surrounded by the outer (liquid - an alloy of nickel and iron) with a thickness of 2180 km. While the planet rotates at its usual pace, the inner core rotates separately, forming a magnetic field. You can also tell children about how they are formed auroras. After all, for this, charged particles of the solar wind need to pass into the air molecules above the magnetic poles of the planet, and then these molecules begin to shine.

Now you know what the Earth is made of. If children or schoolchildren of any age are curious to know more interesting facts and details about the third planet from the Sun, then be sure to visit the remaining pages of the section. Don't forget to use the 3D model solar system, which shows all the planets, as well as a map of Venus, its surface and features of its orbital rotation. For the rest, our photos, pictures, drawings, as well as an online telescope that operates in real time, will always help you. The structure of the Earth is incredibly easy to understand if you follow the visuals.

Astronomers study space, obtain information about planets and stars despite their enormous distance. At the same time, there are no fewer secrets on the Earth itself than in the Universe. And today scientists do not know what is inside our planet. Watching how lava pours out during a volcanic eruption, you might think that the Earth is also molten inside. But that's not true.

Core. The central part of the globe is called the core (Fig. 83). Its radius is about 3,500 km. Scientists believe that the outer part of the core is in a molten-liquid state, and the inner part is in a solid state. The temperature in it reaches +5,000 °C. From the core to the surface of the Earth, temperature and pressure gradually decrease.

Mantle. The Earth's core is covered by a mantle. Its thickness is approximately 2,900 km. The mantle, like the core, has never been seen. But it is assumed that the closer to the center of the Earth, the higher the pressure in it, and the temperature - from several hundred to -2,500 ° C. It is believed that the mantle is solid, but at the same time hot.

Earth's crust. On top of the mantle, our planet is covered with a crust. This is the upper solid layer of the Earth. Compared to the core and mantle, the earth's crust is very thin. Its thickness is only 10-70 km. But this is the firmament on which we walk, there are rivers, cities are built on it.

The earth's crust is formed by various substances. It is made up of minerals and rocks. Some of them are already known to you (granite, sand, clay, peat, etc.). Minerals and rocks vary in color, hardness, structure, melting point, solubility in water and other properties. Many of them are widely used by humans, for example, as fuel, in construction, and for the production of metals. Material from the site

Granite

Sand

Peat

The upper layer of the earth's crust is visible in deposits on mountain slopes, steep river banks, and quarries (Fig. 84). And mines and boreholes, which are used to extract minerals, such as oil and gas, help to look deep into the crust.

The structure of our planet is heterogeneous. One consists of several levels, including solid and liquid shells. What are the layers of the Earth called? How many are there? How are they different from each other? Let's figure it out.

How were the layers of the Earth formed?

Among the terrestrial planets (Mars, Venus, Mercury), the Earth has the largest mass, diameter and density. It was formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago. According to one version, our planet, like others, was formed from small particles that arose after the Big Bang.

The debris, dust and gas began to unite under the influence of gravity and took on a spherical shape. The proto-earth was very hot and melted minerals and metals falling on it. More dense substances went down to the center of the planet, less dense substances went up.

This is how the first layers of the Earth appeared - the core and mantle. Along with them, a magnetic field also appeared. From above, the mantle gradually cooled and became covered with a film, which later became the crust. The processes of planet formation did not end there; in principle, they continue to this day.

Gases and seething substances of the mantle constantly burst out through cracks in the crust. Their weathering formed the primary atmosphere. Then, along with hydrogen and helium, it contained a lot carbon dioxide. Water, according to one version, appeared later from the condensation of ice brought by asteroids and comets.

Core

The layers of the Earth are represented by the core, mantle and crust. They all differ in their properties. At the center of the planet is the core. It has been studied less than other shells, and all information about it is, although scientific, still speculation. The temperature inside the core reaches about 10,000 degrees, so it is not yet possible to reach it even with the best technology.

The core lies at a depth of 2900 kilometers. It is generally accepted that it has two layers - external and internal. Together they have an average radius of 3.5 thousand kilometers and are composed of iron and nickel. It is assumed that the core may contain sulfur, silicon, hydrogen, carbon, and phosphorus.

Its inner layer is in a solid state due to enormous pressure. The size of its radius is equal to 70% of the radius of the Moon, which is approximately 1200 kilometers. The outer core is in a liquid state. It consists not only of iron, but also of sulfur and oxygen.

The temperature of the outer core ranges from 4 to 6 thousand degrees. Its liquid constantly moves and thereby affects the Earth's magnetic field.

Mantle

The mantle envelops the core and represents the middle level in the structure of the planet. It is not accessible for direct research and is studied using geophysical and geochemical methods. It occupies about 83% of the planet's volume. Under the surface of the oceans, its upper boundary passes at a depth of several kilometers; under the continents, these figures increase to 70 kilometers.

It is divided into upper and lower parts, between which the Golitsin layer passes. Like the lower layers it has high temperature- from 900 to 4000 degrees. It is viscous in consistency, and its density fluctuates depending on chemical changes and pressure.

The composition of the mantle is similar to stony meteorites. It contains silicates, silicon, magnesium, aluminum, iron, potassium, calcium, as well as grospidites and carbonatites, which are not found in the earth's crust. When exposed to intense temperatures in the lower mantle, many minerals decompose into oxides.

Outer layer of the Earth

Above the mantle is the Mohorovicic surface, marking the boundary between the shells of different chemical composition. In this part the speed seismic waves increases sharply. The top layer of the Earth is represented by the crust.

The outer part of the shell is in contact with the hydrosphere and atmosphere of the planet. It is much thinner under the oceans than on land. About 3/4 of it is covered with water. The structure of the crust is similar to the crust of the terrestrial planets and partly the Moon. But only on our planet it is divided into continental and oceanic.

Relatively young. Most of it is represented by basalt rocks. Layer thickness in different parts The ocean ranges from 5 to 12 kilometers.

The continental crust consists of three layers. Below are granulites and other similar metamorphic rocks. Above them is a layer of granites and gneisses. The top level is represented sedimentary rocks. The continental crust contains 18 elements, including hydrogen, oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, sodium and others.

Lithosphere

One of the spheres of our planet is the lithosphere. It unites layers of the Earth such as the upper mantle and crust. It is also defined as the solid shell of the planet. Its thickness ranges from 30 kilometers on the plains to 70 kilometers in the mountains.

The lithosphere is divided into stable platforms and mobile folded regions, in the areas of which mountains and volcanoes are located. The upper layer of the solid shell was formed by magma flows that broke through the earth's crust from the mantle. Due to this, the lithosphere consists of crystalline rocks.

It is subject to the Earth, such as weathering. Processes in the mantle do not subside and are manifested by volcanic and seismic activity and mountain building. This, in turn, also affects the structure of the lithosphere.

Planet Earth belongs to the terrestrial planets, which means that the surface of the Earth is solid and the structure and composition of the Earth is in many ways similar to other terrestrial planets. Earth is the largest planet in the terrestrial group. The Earth has the largest size, mass, gravitational force and magnetic field. The surface of planet Earth is still very young (by astronomical standards). 71% of the surface of the planet is occupied by a water shell and this makes the planet unique; on other planets, water on the surface could not be in a liquid state due to the inappropriate temperatures of the planets. The ability of the oceans to retain the heat of water makes it possible to coordinate the climate, transferring this heat to other places using currents (the most famous warm current is the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean).

The structure and composition is similar to many other planets, but there are still significant differences. All elements of the periodic table can be found in the composition of the earth. Everyone knows the structure of the Earth from an early age: a metallic core, a large layer of the mantle and, of course, the earth’s crust with a wide variety of topography and internal composition.

Composition of the Earth.

Studying the mass of the Earth, scientists came to the conclusion that the planet consists of 32% iron, 30% oxygen, 15% silicon, 14% magnesium, 3% sulfur, 2% nickel, 1.5% of the earth consists of calcium and 1.4 % from aluminum, and the remaining elements account for 1.1%.

Structure of the Earth.

The Earth, like all terrestrial planets, has a layered structure. At the center of the planet is a core of molten iron. The interior of the core is made of solid iron. The entire core of the planet is surrounded by viscous magma (harder than under the surface of the planet). The core also includes molten nickel and other chemical elements.

The planet's mantle is a viscous shell that accounts for 68% of the planet's mass and about 82% of the planet's total volume. The mantle consists of silicates of iron, calcium, magnesium and many others. The distance from the Earth's surface to the core is more than 2800 km. and all this space is occupied by the mantle. Usually the mantle is divided into two main parts: upper and lower. Above the 660 km mark. The upper mantle is located before the earth's crust. It is known that, from the time of the formation of the Earth to the present day, it has undergone significant changes in its composition; it is also known that it was the upper mantle that gave birth to the earth’s crust. The lower mantle is located, accordingly, below the boundary of 660 km. to the core of the planet. The lower mantle has been little studied due to difficult accessibility, but scientists have every reason to believe that the lower mantle has not suffered major changes in its composition over the entire existence of the planet.

The earth's crust is the uppermost, solid shell of the planet. The thickness of the earth's crust remains within 6 km. at the bottom of the oceans and up to 50 km. on the continents. The earth's crust, like the mantle, is divided into 2 parts: the oceanic earth's crust and the continental earth's crust. The oceanic crust consists mainly of various breeds and sedimentary cover. The continental crust consists of three layers: sedimentary cover, granite and basalt.

During the life of the planet, the composition and structure of the Earth underwent significant changes. The planet's topography is constantly changing, tectonic plates either shift, forming large mountainous reliefs at their junctions, or move apart, creating seas and oceans between themselves. The movement of tectonic plates occurs due to changes in the temperatures of the mantle underneath them and under various chemical influences. The composition of the planet was also subject to various external influences, which led to its change.

At one point, the Earth reached a state where life could appear on it, which is what happened. lasted a very long time for a long time. Over these billions of years, it was able to grow or mutate from a single-celled organism into multicellular and complex organisms, such as humans.

Definition 2

Hydrosphere- the water shell of the planet’s surface, consisting of all the bodies of water that exist on Earth.

The thickness of this water shell varies in different areas. The average depth is $3.8$ km, and the maximum is $11$ km. The hydrosphere is a powerful geological force that circulates both water and other substances.

Another new shell appears with the appearance of life on Earth - this biosphere. The term was introduced E. Suess ($1875$).

Definition 3

Biosphere- this is that part of the Earth’s shells in which various organisms live.

The boundaries of this shell are associated with the presence of conditions necessary for normal life activity, therefore its upper part is limited intensity of ultraviolet radiation, and the lower one – with temperatures up to $100$ degrees.

Note 3

Biosphere It is considered the highest ecosystem of the Earth, because it represents the totality of all biogeocenoses.

The appearance of man on Earth led to the emergence of anthropogenic factors, which intensified with the development of civilization and led to the emergence of a specific shell - noosphere. This term was first introduced E. Leroy($1870-1954$) and T.Ya. de Chardin ($1881-1955$).

The noosphere is the highest stage of the evolution of the biosphere, and is closely related to the development of human society. This is the sphere of interaction between society and nature. Within the boundaries of this interaction, intelligent human activity becomes the determining factor.

Note 4

Noosphere represents part biosphere, the development of which is directed human mind.