Earth
Earth scientists have discovered and are still discovering daily more details to this complex planet. Earth is the third planet from the sun out of eight total planets in the solar system. This planet is characterized as a waterworld – meaning that two-thirds of the entire planet is covered by oceans (Britt, 2015). The planet Earth is the fifth largest planet in the solar system with a diameter of approximately 8,000 miles (Choi, 2014). Jupiter is the largest planet with a mass three times that of Earth, and the smallest planet, Mercury, is twenty times smaller than Earth (Temming, 2014). According to The Planets (2015), scientists estimate that the Earth was formed roughly 4.54 billion years ago. It is also the only known planet to support life. Even though Earth is not the largest planet in the solar system it is the densest. The density of Earth can be explained to the many layers that make up the planet.
The Earth is comprised of three major spherical shell layers; the crust, mantle and core. Any and all known life on Earth exists on the outermost layer - the crust. Examining the layer beneath the crust is the mantle and at the center of Earth is the core, the deepest, hottest and centermost portion of the Earth (National Geographic, 2015a). The layers of the Earth vary from solid to liquid states of matter, temperature, and mineral composition. The Earth’s core “forms only 15 percent of the Earth’s volume, whereas the mantle occupies 84 percent. The crust makes up the remaining (one) percent” (Robertson, 2011, para. 2). Direct studies of each layer has yet to occur, however, scientists have successfully used seismic refracted and reflective waves created by earthquakes to indirectly determine the placement of each layer.
The Earth is comprised of three major spherical shell layers; the crust, mantle and core. Any and all known life on Earth exists on the outermost layer - the crust. Examining the layer beneath the crust is the mantle and at the center of Earth is the core, the deepest, hottest and centermost portion of the Earth (National Geographic, 2015a). The layers of the Earth vary from solid to liquid states of matter, temperature, and mineral composition. The Earth’s core “forms only 15 percent of the Earth’s volume, whereas the mantle occupies 84 percent. The crust makes up the remaining (one) percent” (Robertson, 2011, para. 2). Direct studies of each layer has yet to occur, however, scientists have successfully used seismic refracted and reflective waves created by earthquakes to indirectly determine the placement of each layer.
Watch the video below to learn more about the layers of the Earth.