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# Earth's Layers and Plate Tectonics This document appears to be notes on Earth's layers, plate tectonics, and related concepts. **Environmental Science** * **Spheres of Earth:** * Lithosphere (land) * Hydrosphere (water) * Atmosphere (air) * Biosphere (living things) **Earth's...

# Earth's Layers and Plate Tectonics This document appears to be notes on Earth's layers, plate tectonics, and related concepts. **Environmental Science** * **Spheres of Earth:** * Lithosphere (land) * Hydrosphere (water) * Atmosphere (air) * Biosphere (living things) **Earth's Structure** * **Layers:** The Earth is composed of several layers, including the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. * **Crust:** The outermost solid layer. * **Mantle:** A thick layer beneath the crust, containing convection currents that drive plate movement. * **Outer Core:** Liquid layer. * **Inner Core:** Solid layer. **Plate Tectonics** * **Tectonic Plates:** The Earth's lithosphere is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates. * **Plate Boundaries:** * **Divergent Boundaries:** Plates move apart, creating new crust. * **Convergent Boundaries:** Plates collide, resulting in the destruction of crust or the formation of mountain ranges. * **Transform Boundaries:** Plates slide past each other. * **Convection Currents:** Currents in the mantle cause the plates to move. * **Oceanic vs Continental Plates:** * Oceanic plates will subduct (slide under) continental plates. * Continental plates collide, causing mountain building. * **Continental vs Continental Plates:** Both plates collide, creating high mountain ranges. * **Oceanic vs Oceanic Plates:** One oceanic plate subducts under the other, creating deep sea trenches. **Earthquakes** * **Seismic Waves:** Vibrations that travel through the Earth. * **Epicenter:** The point on the surface directly above the focus of an earthquake. * **Aftershocks:** Smaller earthquakes that follow the main earthquake. **Additional Notes** * Various percentages and notes about percentages of land and water, and presence or absence of living beings seem to be present in the original document. * There are potentially additional notes on human presence, environmental hazards, and natural occurrences.