The Layers of the Earth
Age 11 · Geography
The Earth is made of layers, like an onion: the crust, the mantle, the outer core and the inner core. The deeper you go, the hotter it gets, and at the centre is a ball of solid metal.
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Age 11: open this week
Browse Age 11In the picture
- Crust: the thin layer of rock we live on.
- Mantle: the thickest layer, made of hot rock that moves very slowly.
- Outer core: liquid iron and nickel.
- Inner core: a solid ball of iron and nickel, the hottest part.
Examples
- A peach cut in half: the thin skin, the thick fruit and the hard stone in the middle are like the crust, the mantle and the core.
- Lava from a volcano is melted rock that rises from deep underground.
Key takeaways
- The crust, where we live, is the thinnest layer.
- The inner core is almost as hot as the surface of the Sun.
Quiz: The Layers of the Earth (Age 11)
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If you could dig from the surface all the way to the centre of the Earth, in what order would you pass through the layers?
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What is the outer core made of?
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Which part of the Earth is the hottest?
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