ASL Layers of the Earth for Kids

Layers of the Earth for Kids! Have you ever thought about what the earth looks like beneath the surface? It is pretty cool to study the earth to the core. So, get out your shovels and prepare to dig into the layers of the earth. In spite of the way it looks on the outside, the earth is not simply a giant ball made up of dirt, rocks, and minerals. Amazingly, there is a ton more happening just below the surface, all the way down to the earth's core. Here is an interesting fact. The diameter of the earth is nearly 8,000 miles, which means you would have to dig 15 feet per day for 4,000 years to reach the center of the earth. Whoa! Our planet is made up of four main layers. The crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. Intrigued? Let's look at each layer on its own to learn more. The crust. The first outermost layer of the earth is the crust, which you are super familiar with, even if you did not realize it. This is because you walk on it every day. The earth's crust is around 5 to 25 miles thick, depending on its location. It is the thinnest under the oceans, about 3 to 5 miles thick, and is called oceanic crust. Under continental land, it is about 25 miles thick and called continental crust. Fun fact, the temperatures of the earth's crust can be anywhere between air temperature and 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. That is hot enough to melt rocks. The crust is also broken into pieces called plates. These plates are constantly shifting beneath our feet, but we rarely feel the movement unless there is an earthquake. This is because the plates float on top of the next layer of the earth, which is called the mantle. Sometimes this movement, also called plate tectonics, creates earthquakes. Whoa! Hold on to your hats. Before we get to the next layer of the earth, let's talk about two areas that literally come between it and the earth's crust. The lithosphere and the asthenosphere. Both are made up of mostly granite and basalt, but both have different roles or purposes. The lithosphere is made up of solid and rigid rocks and includes both the earth's crust and the solid part of the upper mantle. Beneath this area is the asthenosphere, which is the denser, weaker, and semi-molten part of the upper mantle. Remember how we talked about plate tectonics? The lithosphere is what makes up the plates, and the asthenosphere is the material they float on. Pretty cool, right? The second layer of the earth is called the mantle. The mantle is the planet's largest layer and is about 1,800 miles thick. It is made up of extremely hot, dense rock called magma, which flows like asphalt. This magma is part of the asthenosphere, which is the surface that the plates of the earth's crust float on. Like we mentioned before, the melted rock that escapes to the earth's surface is what creates volcanic activity on the earth's surface. The temperature at the top of the mantle is about 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit, and at the bottom it is about 4,000 degrees. Here is an interesting fact about the earth's mantle. It is so massive it makes up a total of 84% of the earth's volume. Next up is the outer core, which is basically made up of two melted metals, nickel and iron, that move together as a liquid. The outer core is located about 1,800 miles below the earth's surface and is about 1,400 miles thick. It has temperatures between 4,000 and 9,000 degrees. Last up is the inner core, which is just as hot as the hottest parts of the outer core, but with a lot more pressure. Here is an interesting fact. This pressure comes from the other layers of the earth pressing down onto the inner core, which causes molten iron and nickel to be so tightly forced together that they are forced to vibrate as solids. Who knew that was even possible? Now that we have dug deep into the earth's layers, let's see what you can remember. True or false? The mantle is the earth's largest layer. True. Which layer of the earth has the most pressure? The inner core. Fill in the blank. The earth's crust is divided into two types, continental and blank. Oceanic. True or false? The inner and the outer core are both made up of iron and nickel. True. Fill in the blank. One name for the way that plates move on the earth's mantle is called blank tectonics. Plate. Great job, friends! The earth is a massive planet with four main layers, the crust, mantle, inner core, and outer core. The next time you are outside, take a minute to examine the ground you are walking on, and maybe even take a minute to dig a hole in the ground. That way you can remember all about what you learned today and how you are just barely scratching the surface of what is underneath your feet. Hope you had fun learning with us. Visit us at learnbright.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.