GEO 151 WA1
1. What are the relationships among Earth's mantle, crust, astheno sphere, and lithosphere?
The lithosphere is basically the strong outer shell of earth. It is roughly 100km thick depending on its age, and is broken into plates, known as the tectonic plates. Within the lithosphere is the crust as a portion of the upper mantle.
The crust is the outer most portion of the earth and takes up less than 1% than the total volume of the earth. It is commonly compared to the skin of an apple, whereas the apple represents the earth. The temperature of the crust varies from the air on top, to upward of 1600 at the deepest parts. The tectonic plates are part of the crust of the earth, moving and shifting on the softer mantle or asthenosphere below. Occasionally the fiction of these plates builds, and eventually the rock gives and this results in an earthquake.
The asthenosphere is the inner “soft” portion of the earth. I use the word soft, but more accurately it is easily deformed compared to the lithosphere. Because of this softness it allows the tectonic plates to slide and move over it. The asthenosphere is below the lithosphere, from around 80km to possibly as deep as 700km. The size of the asthenosphere can vary based on temperature. Because of the intense pressure from the lithosphere above and great temperature from the earth’s core, the asthenosphere is much softer than the brittle crust.
The mantle itself is set between the crust, and the outer core of the earth. The mantle is by far the largest divide of the earth, measuring around 2900km thick, which is almost 85% of the earth’s volume. So the mantle is divided into four sections. The upper mantle (35 km- 400 km), the transition zone (410–660 km), the lower mantle (660–2900 km), and the core-mantle boundary (varies but normally 200km thick).
2. By what processes did the planets form from the clouds of gas and dust? What are some of the main differences between the Earth-like planets and the giant
The lithosphere is basically the strong outer shell of earth. It is roughly 100km thick depending on its age, and is broken into plates, known as the tectonic plates. Within the lithosphere is the crust as a portion of the upper mantle.
The crust is the outer most portion of the earth and takes up less than 1% than the total volume of the earth. It is commonly compared to the skin of an apple, whereas the apple represents the earth. The temperature of the crust varies from the air on top, to upward of 1600 at the deepest parts. The tectonic plates are part of the crust of the earth, moving and shifting on the softer mantle or asthenosphere below. Occasionally the fiction of these plates builds, and eventually the rock gives and this results in an earthquake.
The asthenosphere is the inner “soft” portion of the earth. I use the word soft, but more accurately it is easily deformed compared to the lithosphere. Because of this softness it allows the tectonic plates to slide and move over it. The asthenosphere is below the lithosphere, from around 80km to possibly as deep as 700km. The size of the asthenosphere can vary based on temperature. Because of the intense pressure from the lithosphere above and great temperature from the earth’s core, the asthenosphere is much softer than the brittle crust.
The mantle itself is set between the crust, and the outer core of the earth. The mantle is by far the largest divide of the earth, measuring around 2900km thick, which is almost 85% of the earth’s volume. So the mantle is divided into four sections. The upper mantle (35 km- 400 km), the transition zone (410–660 km), the lower mantle (660–2900 km), and the core-mantle boundary (varies but normally 200km thick).
2. By what processes did the planets form from the clouds of gas and dust? What are some of the main differences between the Earth-like planets and the giant