The mantle is the mostly-solid bulk of Earth’s interior. The mantle lies between Earth’s dense, super-heated core and its thin outer layer, the crust. The mantle is about 2,900 kilometers (1,802 miles) thick, and makes up a whopping 84% of Earth’s total volume.
Q. How does the inner core transfer heat?
There are three main sources of heat in the deep earth: (1) heat from when the planet formed and accreted, which has not yet been lost; (2) frictional heating, caused by denser core material sinking to the center of the planet; and (3) heat from the decay of radioactive elements.
Q. Is the crust or mantle more dense?
Below the crust is the mantle, a dense, hot layer of semi-solid rock approximately 2,900 km thick. The mantle, which contains more iron, magnesium, and calcium than the crust, is hotter and denser because temperature and pressure inside the Earth increase with depth.
Q. How is the upper mantle different from the lower mantle?
There are very small differences between the two layers. The upper mantle has Olivine (a very special rock), compounds with silicon dioxide, and a substance called Peridotite. The lower mantle is more solid than the upper mantle.
Q. What 2 layers of earth are partially or totally melted?
The outer-most part of the mantle is completely solid and is called the rigid mantle. The rigid mantle and the crust together make up the lithosphere. This solid lithosphere “floats” upon the melted part of the mantle beneath. This melted part of the mantle is called the asthenosphere.
Q. How come Earth is the only planet that can sustain life?
A special planet: the habitable Earth What makes the Earth habitable? It is the right distance from the Sun, it is protected from harmful solar radiation by its magnetic field, it is kept warm by an insulating atmosphere, and it has the right chemical ingredients for life, including water and carbon.
