The Earth is part of the Solar System, is located at a distance of 149.8 million kilometers from the Sun and is the fifth in size among other planets.
Little about planet earth
The velocity of the celestial body around the Sun is 29.765 km / s. It makes a full turn in 365.24 sunny days.
Earth mass and density
Its mass is 5.98 * 1024 kg, and the average density of the Earth is 5.52 g / cm3. At the same time, this indicator in the crust is within 2.71 g / cm3. From this it follows that the density of the planet Earth increases significantly towards the depth. This is due to the peculiarity of its structure.
For the first time the average density of the Earth was determined by I. Newton, who calculated it in the amount of 5-6 g / cm3. Its chemical composition is similar to the planets.terrestrial groups, such as Venus and Mars, and partly Mercury. The composition of the Earth: iron - 32%, oxygen - 30%, silicon - 15%, magnesium - 14%, sulfur - 3%, nickel - 2%, calcium - 1.6% and aluminum - 1.5%. The remaining elements in the total account for about 1.2%.
Our planet is a blue traveler in space.
Finding the Earth near the Sun affectsthe presence of those or other chemicals in the liquid and gaseous state. Due to this, the composition of the Earth is diverse, an atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere have formed. The atmosphere mainly consists of a mixture of gases: nitrogen and oxygen 78% and 21%, respectively. As well as carbon dioxide - 1.6% and trace amounts of inert gases, such as helium, neon, xenon and others.
The hydrosphere of our planet consists of water andoccupies 3/4 of its surface. The Earth is the only planet of the Solar System currently known that possesses the hydrosphere. Water has played a crucial role in the process of life on Earth. Due to its circulation and high heat capacity, the hydrosphere balances the climatic conditions at different latitudes and forms the climate on the planet. It represents the oceans, rivers and groundwater. The hard part of our planet consists of sedimentary formations, granite and basalt layers.
The structure of the Earth and its structure
The Earth, like the rest of the terrestrial planets, has a layered internal structure. In its center is the core.
The complexity and inaccessibility of the study of mineral resources
Man is very difficult to penetrate deep into the Earth. One of the deepest wells drilled on the Kola Peninsula. Its depth reaches 12 kilometers.
We use indirect research tools
Из-за этого недра нашей планеты, размещённые на significant depth, analyze the results of seismic exploration. Every hour about ten oscillations of its surface are observed in different points of the Earth. Based on the data obtained, thousands of seismic stations are conducting a study of the propagation of waves during an earthquake. These vibrations propagate in the same way as circles on the water from an abandoned object. When a wave penetrates a more compacted layer, its velocity changes dramatically. Using the data, scientists were able to determine the boundaries of the inner shells of our planet. In the structure of the Earth there are three main layers.
Earth's crust and its properties
The upper shell of the Earth is the Earth's crust.Its thickness can vary from 5 kilometers in oceanic areas to 70 kilometers in the mountainous regions of the mainland. In relation to the entire planet, this shell is not thicker than an egg shell, but an underground fire rages under it. Echoes of deep-seated processes occurring in the bowels of the Earth, which we observe in the form of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, cause great damage.
The earth's crust is the only layer that is accessible to people for life and high-grade research. The structure of the crust beneath the continents and oceans is different.
Континентальная земная кора занимает гораздо smaller surface area of the earth, but has a more complex structure. It contains under the sedimentary layer outer granite and lower basalt layers. In the continental crust there are more ancient rocks, which are almost two billion years old.
Ocean bark is thinner, only about fivekilometers, and contains two layers: lower basalt and upper sedimentary. The age of ocean rocks does not exceed 150 million years. Life can exist in this layer.
The mantle and what we know about it
Under the crust lies a layer called the mantle.The border between it and the cortex is rather sharply marked. It is called the Mokhorovich layer, and it can be found at a depth of about forty kilometers. The boundary of Mohorovich consists mainly of basalts and silicates, which are in a solid state. The exceptions are some "lava pockets", which are in liquid form.
How was knowledge of the mantle formed?
В начале 20-го века интенсивно обсуждалась border of Mohorovic. Some researchers believed that it was there that the metamorphic process occurs, during which rocks with high density are formed. Other scientists explained the sharp increase in the speed of seismic waves by changing the content of the composition of rocks from relatively light to heavier types.
Now this point of view is considered primary inunderstanding and research methods of processes occurring inside the planet. The mantle of the Earth itself is not directly available for direct research due to its deep occurrence, and it does not reach the surface.
The mantle, which receives radiation from the center, is heated from 800 degrees above to 2000 degrees near the core. It is assumed, in fact, that the substance of the mantle is in continuous motion.
What is the density of the earth in the mantle region?
The density of the Earth within the mantle reaches about 5.9 g / cm3. The pressure increases with increasing depth and canreach 1.6 million atmospheres. In the matter of determining the temperature in the mantle, the opinions of scientists are not unambiguous and rather contradictory, 1500-10000 degrees Celsius. These are the prevailing opinions in scientific circles.
The closer to the center, the hotter
The core is located in the center of the Earth.Its upper part is located at a depth of 2900 kilometers from the surface (outer core) and makes up about 30% of the total mass of the planet. This layer has the properties of a viscous fluid and electrical conductivity. Contains about 12% sulfur and 88% iron. At the boundary of the core and the mantle, the density of the Earth increases dramatically and reaches about 9.5 g / cm3. At a depth of approximately 5,100 km, its interior is recognized, its radius is about 1,260 kilometers, and its mass is 1.7% of the total mass of the planet.
The pressure in the center is so huge that iron andNickel, which should be liquid, are in a solid state. According to scientific research, the center of the Earth is a place with super extreme conditions with a pressure of 3.5 million atmospheres and temperatures above 6000 degrees.
In this regard, the iron-nickel alloy does not passin a liquid state, despite the fact that the melting point of these metals is 1450-1500 degrees Celsius. Because of the enormous pressure in the center, the mass and density of the Earth are huge enough. One cubic decimeter of matter weighs about twelve and a half kilograms. This is a unique and only place where the density of the planet is much higher than in any other layer of it.
Reveal all interaction mechanisms insideEarth would be not only interesting, but also useful. We would understand the formation of various minerals and their location. Perhaps, the mechanism of earthquake occurrence would be fully understood, which would make it possible to precisely warn them. Today they are unpredictable and bring many victims and destructions. Accurate knowledge of convection flows and their interaction with the lithosphere may shed light on this problem. Therefore, future scientists have a long, interesting and useful work for all of humanity.
