Earth's mantle

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/earths-mantle

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How deep is Earth's mantle?Approximately 40 km to 2,900 km below the surface
2. What is Earth's mantle known for?Approximately 84% of Earth's total volume
3. What is the primary composition?Silicate rocks, predominantly peridotite
4. What is the rheological behavior?Exhibits viscous flow over geological timescales
5. What is the Earth's mantle and how hot is it?The mantle is a thick, gooey layer inside Earth made of silicate rocks with magnesium and iron. It gets very hot, from about 1,000°C at the top to over 3,700°C at the bottom.
6. How does the mantle move and why does it matter?The mantle flows slowly like thick caramel because of heat from radioactive decay. This slow flow pushes the plates on Earth's surface, making mountains and oceans.

Rheology: The study of the flow of matter, primarily in a liquid or plastic state.
Lithosphere: The rigid outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Subduction Zone: An area where one tectonic plate slides beneath another and sinks into the mantle.