Heat transfer & Earth's Interior
Indirect evidence of Earth's interior
Seismic waves produced from earthquakes and recorded on seismographs. Analyzed by seismologists that determined specific waves behave differently- S-waves travel through solids only; P-waves travel through solids & liquids. Speed of the waves & the paths they take reveal the structure of the interior & that it is made of layers.
nuclear fusion
Sun releases huge amounts of energy when hydrogen gas collides to form helium
Ultraviolet radiation
invisible form of energy that can cause sunburns; has wavelengths shorter than wavelengths for violet light
crust
layer of rock that forms Earth's outer shell that includes both ocean floor & dry land
asthenosphere
less rigid solid rock below the lithosphere that is somewhat soft where it can bend like plastic
core
made mostly of metals, iron and nickel
Insulators/ poor conductors
material that do not allowed heat energy to pass through them easily
Conductors
materials, such as metals, that allow heat energy to move through them easily
outer core
molten (liquid) metal that convects and surrounds the inner core
Infrared radiation
Can be felt as heat; has wavelengths that are longer than wavelengths of red light.
Magnetosphere
Earth's magnetic field hypothesized to be generated from the convecting liquid outer core. Magnetic field protects Earth's from solar winds.
Visible light
Form of electromagnetic radiation that includes all colors in a rainbow that have different wavelengths: red, orange, green, yellow, blue, and violet. Visible by humans.
convection currents in the mantle
Heat is transferred from Earth's interior causing heat to rise where solid mantle rock rises very slowing from the bottom of the mantle toward the top. Hot rock eventually cools and sinks back through the mantle. This cycle takes millions of years to occur.
Direct evidence of Earth's interior
Volcanic eruptions & rock samples
3 main layers of Earth's interior
crust, mantle, core
inner core
dense ball of solid metal due to extreme pressure and temperature
Radiation
direct transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves through space
Pressure
force pressing on an area
greenhouse effect
greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, etc..) absorb infrared (heat) radiation, which helps to keep Earth's atmosphere warm enough so living organisms can thrive
Relationship between pressure and depth in Earth's interior
pressure increases with depth due to weight of rock above
Convection
process by which heat is transferred by the movement of heated fluids (liquids or gases) where a hot, less dense fluid rises and a cold, more dense fluid sinks, forming a convection cell or current.
Types of electromagnetic radiation
radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible light waves, ultraviolet waves, x-rays, gamma waves/rays
mantle
solid, hot rock that lies beneath the crust where some regions do have the ability to change shape due to heat transfer
Relationship between temperature and depth in Earth's interior
temperature increases with depth
Conduction
the transfer of heat through matter by direct contact (due to the movement of kinetic energy)
Thermal radiation
transfer of heat in the form of wave energy from a relatively warmer body outward to a cooler body
continental crust
type of crust that makes up the dry land or continents, made mostly of granite- light igneous rock, that is much thicker and is not recycled in the mantle
oceanic crust
type of crust that makes up the ocean floor that is much thinner due being denser and being able to be subducted into the mantle. It is made mostly of the rock basalt, dark igneous rock.
lithosphere
uppermost part of the mantle and crust that forms a rigid, cold layer that is above the asthenosphere