Leyte Normal University

GRADUATE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Tacloban City

THE LITHOSPHERE
NOAH JUSTINE C. SAYSON
Master of Arts in Teaching Natural Science
Introduction

Written Report
SELECTED TOPICS IN SCIENCE I
DR. ROSALINA H. CORAL
The Four Layers

The Lithosphere
is
one
major
n in comparison to of
thethe
other
three layers. The crust is only about 3-5 miles (8 kilometers) thick under the ocean
spheres which refers
tosilica
the solid
of
composed of
andlayer
alumina
(SIAL).
the
Earth.
Along
with
posed of silica and magnesium (SIMA).
our atmosphere,
he less dense continents
ride on the denser oceanic plates.
hydrosphere and
biosphere, it forms our
only known habitable
planet. Essential to
our understanding of
the Lithosphere is the
knowledge about its
layers and
There are several analogies that are
being used to describe the Lithosphere
such as an apple and hard-boiled egg. Can
you make another analogy for the
The Layers of the Earth

The Earth is composed of four

different layers:
crust and the upper layer of the mantle together make up a zone of rigid, brittle rock called the Lith
The crust is the
rust of the Earth is broken into many pieces called plates. The plates "float" on the soft, semi-rigid asthenosp
layer that you live
on, and it is the
most
widely
studied
and
understood.
The mantle is
much hotter and
has the ability to
9ojkmmu,.,
flow.
The outer core
and inner core
are even hotter
with pressures so
great you would
be squeezed into
a
ball
smaller

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The Lithospheric Plates. The whole crust is divided into many pieces known as the plates that are
like rafts. The movement of these plates are influenced by the convection current of the semi-rigid
asthenosphere that flows like hot asphalt, that moves as fast as your fingernails grow.

The Four Layers (continued)

MOHOROVII DISCONTINUITY
-The Crust-Mantle Boundary is known as the Mohorovii
Discontinuity named after its discoverer, Croatian
seismologist Andrija Mohorovii in 1909.
-The term discontinuity denotes a change in the velocity of
the seismic wave, and thus, another layer of the earth.
-He found out that seismic waves increase in speed at an
average depth of 40 km.

THE MANTLE
-Solid but capable of flow (like
hot asphalt or fudge)
-Thickest layer of the Earth
(making up 70% of the
Earths mass)
-The hot material (magma) in
the mantle rises to the top of
the mantle, cools, then sinks,
reheats, and rises again.
These convection currents
cause changes in the Earths
surface Basalt is much
denser than the granite.
Because of this the less
dense continents ride on the
denser oceanic plates.
- The next time you heat anything like
soup or water in a pan you can watch
the convection currents move in the
liquid. When the convection currents

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The Four Layers (continued)

THE CORE
The core is divided into the outer and
inner core:
-The outer core is molten (liquid) metal
that is about 4,700C (8,500F)
-Located about 1,800 miles beneath the crust
and is about 1,400 miles thick
-Composed of the melted metals nickel and
iron
-The inner core is a solid sphere composed
mostly of iron
-It is believed to be as hot as 6,650C
(12,000F)
-Heat in the core is probably generated by
the radioactive decay of uranium and
In Summary:
- The earth is layered with a lithosphere (crust and uppermost
mantle), convecting mantle,
and a dense metallic core.
Take Note:
- Pressure, temperature, and density increases as depth increases.

GUTENBERG
DISCONTINUITY
- The
Mantle-Core
Boundary
is
known as the
Gutenberg
Discontinuity
named after the
German
geophysicist
Beno
Gutenberg.

The Plate Tectonics Theory: Plate Boundaries, Stresses and Faults

WHAT
ARE
PLATES?
-As
mentioned
earlier,
the
Earths
crust
and
upper
mantle
(Lithosphere)
are broken into
sections called
plates.
-Plates
move
around on top of
the mantle like
rafts.
- These
convection
currents
affect
the movements
of
the

THE PLATE TECTONICS THEORY

movement of the Earths crust, presence of volcanoes and other
geological formations and occurrence of earthquakes are all
explained by the Plate Tectonics Theory.
- This
theory
explains that
pieces of the
lithosphere
is
in
constant
motion,
driven
by
the
convection
currents in
the mantle.
Plates move
slowly
in
different
directions.
- The

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The Plate Tectonics Theory: Plate Boundaries, Stresses and Faults (continued)

thospheric plates, and thus, it creates different form of plate boundaries. The edges of Earths plates meet at
nt, convergent and transform boundaries.
her is called fault.

NDARIES
where two plates move away from each other.
he middle as it is pulled apart.
d tension.
produced when rock snaps from the stress of tension. Rock drops down as it breaks.

ed

Geologic features or events may form:

Rift valleys on continents.
Sea-floor spreading in the ocean breaks.
Fissure volcanoes may also form.

CONVERGENT BOUNDARIES
- A plate boundary where two plates move
This STRESS is called
towards from each other.
- Convergent boundary has two plates colliding
each other. This stress is called compression.
- A reverse fault is produced when rock is
squeezed from the stress of compression.
Rock is forced upward as it is squeezed.
Type 1: Oceanic-Continental Convergence
- Oceanic plate collides with less dense
continental plate.
- Since the continental plate is lense dense,
oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean
trench and back into the mantle at a
convergent plate boundary. This process is
known as subduction.

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The Plate Tectonics Theory: Plate Boundaries, Stresses and Faults (continued)
Type
3:
Continental-Continental
Type 2: Oceanic-Oceanic Convergence
Convergence
Oceanic plate collides with another oceanic
A continental plate collides another
plate.
continental plate.
The denser plate slides under the less dense
plate creating a subduction zone calledThis
a type has collision zones, place where
folded
and thrust faulted mountains form,
trench.
known as mountain ranges (e.g.
Himalayas).

TRANSFORM BOUNDARIES
- Rock is pushed in two opposite directions (or
sideways, but no rock is lost). This stress is
called shearing.
- A strike-slip fault is produced when rocks on
each side of the fault slip past each other as
they break.
- May cause earthquakes when the rock snaps
from the pressure.
A famous fault at a transform boundary is the
In Summary:
- Plate tectonics theory explains the movement of the Earths crust, presence of volcanoes and
other geological formations and occurrence of earthquakes.
- There are three types of plate boundaries that ae cause by different types of stresses and
produces distinct faults and varied geologic features.
Divergent boundaries has tension causing normal faults to form. Geologic features
include rift valleys, sea floor spreading and fissure volcanoes.
Convergent boundaries has stress of compression resulting to reverse faults. Subduction
zones are present in oceanic-oceanic and oceanic-continental convergence. Trenches,
volcanic island ark and mountain ranges found in this type of boundary.
Transform boundaries has the stress of shearing forming strike-slip faults. Earthquakes
are common near these boundaries.