Explainer: Earth's inner Layers

By Michael Jumba

The Earth has four main layers: the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust.

1. Inner Core: It is the innermost and the hottest layer, made of solid iron and nickel with temperatures reaching up to 5,700 degrees Celsius.
2. Outer Core: It is a liquid layer surrounding the inner core, composed mainly of iron and nickel, with temperatures between 4,000 to 5,000 degrees Celsius.
3. Mantle: It is the largest layer, making up about 84% of Earth's volume. It is composed of solid rock with temperatures ranging from 800 to 2,200 degrees Celsius.
4. Crust: It is the thin, solid outermost layer of the Earth and is divided into several tectonic plates. The crust is composed mainly of rock and has a thickness ranging from 5 to 70 km.

These layers interact with each other through various geological processes, such as plate tectonics and convection, which shape the Earth's surface and give rise to geological events like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.