THE MANTLE
The mantle-- The second layer of the Earth approximately 1800 miles thick comprised mainly of high density magnesium, aluminum, and iron.

"Again... what's the big deal?"

Well, the mantle is actually a big, huge, thick SOLID layer that is SO hot, it actually flows around really slow like silly putty...
Kinda makes you wonder how the crust doesn't just melt, huh?  Well, actually the crust is hardened magma, and every once in a while, magma creeps through the crust and...
TADA!
We get volcanos.

The mantle is the thickest layer of the Earth.  Suppose you are holding an apple you cut in half.  The skin of the apple is the crust.  The fruit of the apple is the mantle.  And the core is the... well... core!

(High density means that the mantle is so thick and dense, it won't really break.)

Now, the mantle has three layers--
the Athenosphere, the Lithosphere, and the Mesosphere.


Lithosphere The lithosphere layer is the uppermost part of the mantle AND the crust.  It is usually thick because it is farther away from the hot core.
It is about 65 miles thick.
It is mainly magnesium.
Athenosphere The athenosphere is the middle layer of the mantle.  It is much hotter and flows around because it is melted.
It is about 220 miles thick.
It is predominantly iron.
Mesosphere The mesosphere is the lowest layer of the mantle.  It is SO hot, the melting point has been raised so it's not really melted anymore!!  (now that's hot...).
It is about 1500 miles thick.
It is mainly made up of aluminum.

Want to go even deeper into the Earth? Click on the planet...

... or to go back home, click here.