Before talking about what the earth's crust consists of, we can recall what are supposedly the constituent parts of the entire globe. Presumably - because man has not yet been able to penetrate deeper than this earth's crust into the center of the earth. Even the entire thickness of the bark could only be "picked".
Scientists assume, build hypotheses based on the laws of physics, chemistry and other sciences, and according to these data, we have a certain picture of the structure of the entire planet, as well as what large elements the earth's crust consists of. Geography in grades 6-7 gives students precisely these theories in a form facilitated for immature minds.
Thanks to a small share of data and a large baggage of various laws, models of the planets of the solar system, and even stars that are far from us, are built in the same way. What follows from this? Mainly that you have an absolute right in everythingdoubt it.
Layers of planet Earth
In addition to the fact that the earth's crust consists of layers, the entire earth also consists of three layers. Such a layered culinary masterpiece. The first of these is the core; it has a solid part and a liquid part. It is the movement of the liquid part in the core that presumably creates the Earth's magnetic field. It's hot here - the temperature reaches up to 5000 degrees Celsius.
The second layer of the earth is the mantle. It connects the core and the earth's crust. The mantle also has several layers, namely three, and the upper one, adjacent to the earth's crust, is magma. It is directly related to the question of what large elements the earth's crust consists of, since hypothetically it is on it that these largest elements "float". We can talk about its existence with a more or less high degree of probability, since during volcanic eruption it is this hot substance that comes to the surface, destroying all plant and animal life that is on the slope of the volcano.
And, finally, the third layer of the earth is the earth's crust: the solid layer of the planet, located outside the hot "insides" of the Earth, on which we are used to walking, traveling and living in general. The thickness of the earth's crust, compared to the other two layers of the earth, is negligible, but nevertheless, it is possible to characterize what large elements the earth's crust consists of, as well as understand its composition.
What layers are characteristic of the earthbark. Its main chemical elements
The Earth's crust also consists of layers - there are bas alt, granite and sedimentary. Interestingly, in the chemical composition of the earth's crust, 47% is oxygen.
A substance that is essentially a gas combines with other elements to form a solid crust. Other elements in this case are silicon, aluminum, iron and calcium; the remaining elements are present in minute fractions.
Dividing into parts by thickness in different areas
It has already been said that the earth's crust is much thinner than the lower mantle or core. If we approach the question of what large elements the earth's crust consists of, precisely in relation to thickness, we can divide it into oceanic and continental. These two parts differ significantly in their thickness, with the oceanic one about three times, and in some places ten times (if we talk about averages) thinner than the mainland.
What else is the difference between the continental and oceanic crust
In addition, the zones of land and oceans differ in layers. Different sources indicate different data, we will give one option. So, according to these data, the continental crust consists of three layers, among which there is a bas alt layer, a granite layer and a layer of sedimentary rocks. The plains of the earth's continental crust reach a thickness of 30-50 km, in the mountains these figures can rise to 70-80 km. According to the same source, the oceanic crustconsists of two layers. A granite ball falls out, leaving only the upper sedimentary and lower bas alt. The thickness of the earth's crust in the region of the oceans is approximately from 5 to 15 kilometers.
Simplified and averaged data as training basis
These are the most general and simplified descriptions, because scientists are constantly working to study the features of the surrounding world, and the latest data indicate that the earth's crust in different places has a structure that is much more complicated than the usual standard scheme of the earth's crust that we study in school. Here in many places of the continental crust, for example, there is another layer - diorite.
It is also interesting that these layers are not perfectly even, as is schematically depicted in geographic atlases or other sources. Each layer can be wedged into another, or kneaded in some cut. In principle, there cannot be an ideal model of the earth's scheme, for the same reason that volcanic eruptions occur: there, under the earth's crust, something is constantly in motion and has very high temperatures.
All this can be learned if you connect your life with the sciences of geology and geophysics. You can try to follow scientific progress through scientific journals and articles. But without a certain amount of knowledge, this can turn out to be a very difficult task, and therefore there is a certain basis that is taught in schools without any explanation that this is just an approximate model.
Presumably, the earth's crust consists of "pieces"
Scientists at the beginning of the 20th century wereput forward the theory that the earth's crust is not monolithic. Therefore, it is possible to find out what large elements the earth's crust consists of according to this theory. It is assumed that the lithosphere consists of seven large and several small plates that slowly float on the surface of magma.
These movements create a catastrophic kind of phenomena that occur on our earth with great intensity in certain places. There are areas between the lithospheric plates, which are called "seismic belts". It is in these areas that the highest level of anxiety, so to speak. An earthquake and all the ensuing consequences of this is one of the clearest signs that demonstrates the movement of lithospheric plates.
Influence of displacements of lithospheric plates on the formation of relief
What large elements the earth's crust consists of, which moving parts are more stable and which are more mobile, throughout the creation of the earth's relief influenced its formation. The structure of the lithosphere and the characteristics of the seismic regime distribute the entire lithosphere into stable areas and mobile belts. The first are characterized by flat planes without huge depressions, hills and similar relief variations. They are also called abyssal plains. In principle, this is the answer to the question of what large elements the earth's crust consists of, what stable primary objects it is formed from. In the earth's crust, lithospheric plates underlie all continents. The boundaries of these plates are easily visible byzones of mountain formation, as well as the degree of intensity of earthquakes. The most active places on our planet, where there are earthquakes and many active volcanoes, are the locations of Japan, the islands of Indonesia, the Aleutian Islands, the South American Pacific coast.
Are there more continents than we think?
That is, simply speaking, what the earth's crust consists of is pieces of the lithosphere, which, to a greater or lesser extent, move through magma. And the boundaries of these "pieces" do not always coincide with the boundaries of the continents. Technically, they often never match. In addition, we are used to hearing that the oceans account for approximately 70% of the surface, and the continental component - only 30%. Geographically, it is, but here's what's interesting - in terms of geology, the continents account for about 40%. Ten percent of the continental crust is covered by sea and ocean waters.
