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Earthquakes - The Earth.
The
waves from
earthquakes which travel through the
Earth
give information about the structure of the
planet.
The outer crust (called the lithosphere) is made from solid rock
(see the GCSE
Chemistry site).
The mantle is made from hot
solid rock which can flow only
very very slowly.
The mantle behaves more like a
solid than a liquid.
The mantle goes down nearly half way to the Earth's centre.
The density of the
rocks which are found in the
Earth's crust
is less than the density of the planet
as a whole.
This means that the core of the
Earth must be made from a
material
which is more dense than rock.
It is believed that the core is made
from a mixture of iron and nickel.
The outer core is liquid, the
inner core is solid.
Waves
which travel through the Earth
change direction
as they meet the different layers (see
next
page).
Headings
Waves Search Questions
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Copyright © 2008 Dr. Colin France. All Rights Reserved.