Heat Transfer in the Earth's Mantle

Earth's Mantle and Conduction

• Conduction is the heat transfer that occurs through rapid collision of atoms, which can only happen in solid materials.
• The mantle is hot mostly because of heat conducted from the core.

Internal Structure of the Earth

• The core is the very hot and dense center of the planet, making up about 31% of the Earth's mass.
• The core is mostly iron metal and is the center of the planet.
• The deepest earthquakes occur within the core of the Earth.

Plate Tectonics

• The lithosphere is divided into a number of smaller parts called "tectonic plates".
• Plate tectonics move and interact with one another, driven by convectional forces within the Earth.
• The movements and interactions of these plates produce earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges, ocean trenches, and other geological processes and features.

Types of Plate Boundaries

• Divergent boundary: a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
• Convergent boundary: locations where lithospheric plates are moving towards one another.
• Transform boundary: occurs when two tectonic plates move past one another.

Earthquakes

• Earthquakes occur when there is a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust, usually as a result of tectonic plate movement.
• The epicenter of an earthquake is the point on the Earth's surface directly above the place where the earthquake occurs.
• Seismic waves created by an earthquake vary and can travel up to 2 miles per second.

Types of Seismic Waves

• Body waves: consists of P and S waves.
• Surface waves: consists of Love and Rayleigh waves.

Seismology

• Seismology is the study of earthquakes and seismic waves that move through and around the Earth.
• A seismologist is a scientist who studies earthquakes and seismic waves.

Earthquake Focus and Intensity

• The focus of an earthquake is where pressure builds along a fault line which fails deep underneath the crust of the Earth.
• The intensity of an earthquake is used to determine its severity at a particular location as determined by human reactions to Earth's movement, observed damage to structures, and observation of other physical effects.