1. What fraction of the Earth is made up of each of the major compositional layers: core, mantle, and crust?
2. What cities lie the same distance from our town as the boundaries of the following layers in the Earth lie from the solid surface?
a. Base of oceanic crust or top of the mantle under the ocean.
b. Base of the sub-oceanic lithosphere or top of the aesthenosphere beneath oceanic crust.
c. Base of the aesthenosphere or top of the mesosphere.
****so for this I would convert oceanic crust, lithosphere, and asthenosphere into miles. Then find a map and find the closest cities?
I'm just a little fuzzy on what to convert because of the whole base of and top of wordings.
***** some reason it didn't post the rest of my message.
a.Base of oceanic crust or top of the mantle under the ocean.
b.Base of the sub-oceanic lithosphere or top of the aesthenosphere beneath oceanic crust.
c.Base of the aesthenosphere or top of the mesosphere.
*** So do I convert oceanic crust, lithosphere, and asthenosphere into miles, then get a map and find the nearest cities?
I'm just fuzzy on what to convert because of the base of and top of wordings.
To answer the first question, you need to determine the relative volume of each layer and represent it as a fraction of the Earth's total volume.
1. The core is divided into two layers: the inner core and the outer core. The inner core makes up about 0.15% (or roughly 1/670) of the Earth's volume.
2. The outer core makes up approximately 2% (or roughly 1/50) of the Earth's volume.
3. The mantle represents the largest portion, making up about 84% (or roughly 5/6) of the Earth's volume.
4. The crust, which includes both oceanic and continental crust, comprises only about 0.4% (or roughly 1/250) of the Earth's volume.
Now, to answer the second question, you are correct in thinking about converting the distances from the boundaries of the layers to miles and finding cities at similar distances on a map. Here's how you can approach each case:
a. Base of oceanic crust (or top of the mantle under the ocean): The average ocean crust thickness is about 5 miles. So, you'll need to find a city that is approximately 5 miles away from your town.
b. Base of the sub-oceanic lithosphere (or top of the asthenosphere beneath oceanic crust): The lithosphere extends beneath the crust, and its thickness can vary from around 40 to 160 miles. Let's consider an average value of 100 miles. Find a city that is about 100 miles away from your town.
c. Base of the asthenosphere (or top of the mesosphere): The asthenosphere extends from the lithosphere to a depth of about 250 miles. Find a city that is approximately 250 miles away from your town.
To find the closest cities that match these distances, you can either use a map to measure the distances or use an online tool that calculates distances between locations.