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 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.
So do I convert oceanic crust, lithosphere, and asthenosphere into miles, then get a map and find the nearest cities?
Yes. It is an exercise for you to see just how large these distance.
1. To determine the fraction of the Earth made up of each major compositional layer, we first need to understand the relative sizes of these layers.
The Earth is divided into three main compositional layers: the core, mantle, and crust. The core is the innermost layer, followed by the mantle, and then the crust on the outermost layer.
The core is primarily composed of iron and nickel and makes up about 16% of the Earth's volume. The mantle is mostly made up of solid rock and accounts for about 83% of the Earth's volume. Lastly, the crust, which is relatively thin compared to the other two layers, makes up less than 1% of the Earth's volume.
To express these proportions as fractions, we can say that approximately:
- The core makes up 16/100 or 0.16 of the Earth's volume.
- The mantle makes up 83/100 or 0.83 of the Earth's volume.
- The crust makes up less than 1/100 or 0.01 of the Earth's volume.
2. Regarding your second question, converting the boundaries of Earth's layers into miles and finding the nearest cities is not the most appropriate approach. The base and top of the layers refer to imaginary boundaries within the structure of the Earth.
a. The base of the oceanic crust or top of the mantle under the ocean: These boundaries are located below the ocean's surface. Finding cities at the same distance from your town as these boundaries would require complex calculations using geographical coordinates and distances, rather than converting into miles or using maps directly.
b. The base of the sub-oceanic lithosphere or top of the asthenosphere beneath the oceanic crust: Similar to the previous boundary, this extends below the oceanic crust and requires more advanced calculations rather than converting into miles.
c. The base of the asthenosphere or top of the mesosphere: These boundaries are deep within the Earth, and trying to find cities at the same distance as these boundaries would involve complex calculations considering the spherical shape of the Earth.
If you're interested in learning more about the distances and locations of these boundaries, it would be best to refer to scientific research, geological reports, or consult with experts in the field.