Zone Structure of Earth

Zone Structure of Earth and its importance in Plate Tectonics process
Planet Earth is a dynamic oblate spheroid body which constitutes enormous number and
variety of life forms. Earth is a part of the Solar System consisting of a star known as Sun and
eight planets, Earth being one of them. All these planets revolve around the Sun and also
perform rotation on their respective axis.
Now coming to the zone structure of Earth, broadly Earth which has a radius of
approximately 5400 kilometres can be divided into four parts
Inner Core
Outer Core
Lower Mantle(Mesosphere)
Upper Mantle(Asthenosphere)
Hydrosphere & Atmosphere
The upper mantle covers a distance 670 kilometres into the Earth, the lower mantle ranges
from 670-2981 kilometres, the outer core runs from 2891-5150 kilometres and the inner core
finally ranges from 5150 to 6371 kilometres approximately. Inner core of Earth is basically
known to be solid and made up of Iron-Nickel alloy while the outer core is also said to be
made up of Iron and Nickel but unlike the inner core that has a solid composition it is in fluid
state or has a liquid core. The lower mantle is said to be in a semi-solid state or plastic state
and above it is present what we call upper mantle which is said to be in semi-molten state, it
is also referred as asthenosphere. The solid part on which we stand is referred as Earth Crust
usually 38-40 kilometres thick deep down on the continent side and 6-8 kilometres on the
ocean side and is also known as lithosphere. The lithosphere is said to be floating on the
asthenosphere. The crust-mantle system is a mixture of silicates containing primarily
magnesium, iron, aluminium and calcium (SIAL & SIMA).
The Earth is an interacting system of matter and energy, that as part of its functioning
produces phenomena like volcanoes, glaciers, mountain ranges, oceans, and continents. The
energy that keeps this system going is on one hand the internal heat that drives plate
tectonics, and on the other hand solar energy that maintains ocean and atmosphere circulation
and helps to drive erosion.
Modern theory of plate tectonics explains best the processes that occur on and inside of Earth,
It also takes some of its applicability from Wegners Continental Drift theory.
Lithosphere is divided into many moving plates called tectonic plates which move
continuously, although the pace of moving is quite slow around 1-2 inches per year.
In a nutshell, the basics of plate tectonics are these:
the Earth's crust consists of a number of rigid plates.

these plates move and interact with each other.
the driving force behind plate tectonics is convection in the mantle.
in areas of mantle upwelling (rising hot mantle material) the crust is stretched apart
and new crust is generated.
in areas of mantle down welling (sinking cold material) crust is swallowed up (sub -
ducted).
there are two types of crust: oceanic crust (thin, basaltic), and continental crust (thick,
granitic).
There are basically three types of plate tectonic boundaries
Convergent Boundary
Divergent Boundary
Transform Boundary
Convergent boundaries occur when two plates move towards each other, transform
boundaries occur when two boundaries slide past one other and divergent boundaries occur
when two boundaries move away from one another.
This picture summarizes the essential aspects of plate tectonics. In areas of mantle
upwelling, hot material rises, magma is generated, and fills in the cracks caused by the
spreading apart of the crust.These sites where new ocean crust is generated are also known as
(mid) oceanic ridges. Because the volume of the Earth has to remain constant, for every
square mile of crust that is generated at oceanic ridges, another square mile has to disappear
somewhere else on Earth. This disappearance act takes place at so called deep sea trenches.
There the ocean crust is recycled back into the mantle (subduction).
Because plates press against each other in these places, the crust tends to get buckled up and
thickened, and we see the formation of mountain ranges and lots of earthquakes. Mid-
oceanic ridges and subduction zones are also sites of intense volcanism. At mid-oceanic
ridges it is due to basalt rising from the upper mantle, at subduction zones it is due to melts
(andesite) forming from the descending plate.

Zone Structure of Earth

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Zone Structure of Earth

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Zone Structure of Earth

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Zone Structure of Earth and its importance in Plate Tectonics process

In a nutshell, the basics of plate tectonics are these:

the Earth's crust consists of a number of rigid plates.

There are basically three types of plate tectonic boundaries

You might also like