THE 3 CHEMICAL LAYERS OF PLANET EARTH

The diagram above shows the three chemical layers of the earth, covering 29 percent of the total surface area of planet Earth (about 197 million square miles or 509 million square km). The rest is covered by water (71%). The layers are crust, mantle and core.

 The chemical layering of the earth formed as part of the earth's differentiation-resulting from the heat generated during the process of planetary accretion. As a general rule, denser materials settled to the center of the earth, leaving lighter materials on top.  Thus, the earth consists of successive layers of material getting less dense as you approach the surface. The major compositional layers are:

CRUST

Earth's crust is between three and 46 miles (five and 75 km) deep. The thickest parts are under the continents and the thinnest parts are under the oceans. The crust is divided into huge plates that float on the mantle, the next layer. The plates are constantly in motion; they move at about the same rate as fingernails grow. Earthquakes occur when these plates grind against each other. Mountains form when the plates collide and deep trenches form when one plate slides under another plate. Plate tectonics is the theory explaining the motion of these plates. The following expresses the chemical composition of the crust:





MANTLE

The mantle under the crust is about 1,800 miles deep (2,890 km). It is composed mostly of silicate rocks rich in magnesium and iron. Intense heat causes the rocks to rise. They then cool and sink back down to the core. This convection — like a lava lamp — is believed to be what causes the tectonic plates to move. When the mantle pushes through the crust, volcanoes erupt.

CORE

At the center of the Earth is the core, which has two parts. The solid, inner core of iron has a radius of about 760 miles (about 1,220 km). It is surrounded by a liquid, outer core composed of a nickel-iron alloy. It is about 1,355 miles (2,180 km) thick. The inner core spins at a different speed than the rest of the planet. This is thought to cause Earth's magnetic field. When charged particles from the solar wind collide with air molecules above Earth's magnetic poles, it causes the air molecules to glow, causing the auroras — the northern and southern lights.

I am leaving you with a pie chart depicting the chemical composition of the earth as a whole:

Reference:

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