Our Earth
Why would the first post that I make be about the Earth? Well its the planet that we live on and you would be surprised on how many people truth do not know that much about the Earth. So lets get into what the Earth is made up of. In later blog posts, we will learn how the Earth may have been created:
Lets begin with……
The Crust
The Crust is the first thin layer of "Earth" that is exposed to our feet.
The Crust of the Earth is made up of "oxygen, 46.6 percent by weight; silicon, 27.7 percent; aluminum, 8.1 percent; iron, 5 percent; calcium, 3.6 percent; sodium, 2.8 percent, potassium, 2.6 percent, and magnesium, 2.1 percent" according to Space.com.
It is divided into the tectonic plates that grind together to cause earth quakes. Also when these tectonic plates collide, mountains are formed. When they diverge, deep trenches emerge. The tectonic plates, or the crust, expose the mantle, our next layer of the Earth.
The Mantle
The mantle lies between the Earth's crust and core. It is about 2,900 kilometers thick and makes up 84% of our Earth's volume.
Some of the products that the mantle is made up of are "olivine, garnet, and pyroxene. The other major type of rock found in the mantle is magnesium oxide" according to National Geographic.
The temperature of the mantle is incredibly hot: ranging from 1000ºC towards the crust and 3700ºC near the core. This one of the reasons why we are able to walk on the Earth's surface and not freeze to death.
The Core
The center of the Earth is called the core. The core is made up of iron and nickel and is the foundation of the Earth. The iron and nickel separated from the mantle millions of years ago and formed the core.
It is pretty much circular, but interestingly enough, it grows. it is growing more on one side than it is the other, which has helped scientists observe our magnetic field, but the planet will not tip over its axis. The gravitational forces of other planets, and our Earth, keep our planet far from danger of tipping.
Why is it important to understand what our Earth is made out of? It is important because this way, we can understand all of the different elements coming into play in creating this magnificent planet. It is also important because this way, scientists compare elements that are similar on Earth’s surface to other exoplanets. We will get into more detail in another blog post.
I hope you all enjoyed learning in simple terms what the Earth is structurally made of, and will continue your passion of space with me on Easy Interstellar. Stay Curious :)
-Bailley G
Sources for Today’s Post:
https://www.space.com/17777-what-is-earth-made-of.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/mantle/
image:
NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring)