Wednesday, February 8, 2012

How would it feel to travel to the center of the Earth?

Well, I have to do a science project on the Earth. We had to do a model and write a story about how it would feel like to travel to the center. She told us to describe the changes in temperature and pressure as we went through the layers-- Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, and Inner Core. I left my science book in my locker, so I'm in a pickle. Can somebody help me? Please?How would it feel to travel to the center of the Earth?CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE:



Within the crust:

The temperature at 10 kilometers depth is about 250掳 Celsius.

The temperature at 20 kilometers depth is about 400掳 Celsius.

The temperature at 30 kilometers depth is about 550掳 Celsius.

(The thickness of the crust is variable depending on where you are on Earth, but typical thicknesses for the continental crust are about 30 to 40 km thick)



In the mantle:

(When you get to the mantle, temperature increases more rapidly)

The top of the mantle is about 1200掳 Celsius

The average temperature in the mantle is about 3000掳 Celsius.

The temperatures in the outer core are about 4000掳 to 5000掳 Celsius.

The temperatures in the inner core are about 5000掳 to 6000掳 Celsius.



...



CHANGES IN PRESSURE:



The pressure at the base of the continental crust is about 10 kilobars.

( Within the continental crust, the pressure increases by about 1 kilobar per 4 kilometers of depth. )



The pressure at the top of the mantle is about 30 kilobars.

( Within the mantle, the pressure increases by about 1 kilobar per 3 kilometers of depth. )



The pressure at the core-mantle-boundary is about 1.3 to 1.4 megabars.



The pressure at the center of the earth is about 3.6 megabars.



...



Also note that the depth to the center of the core is a bit greater than 6300 kilometers (but the exact number is variable depending on where you are on Earth's surface)



And another thing to consider is how gravity changes as you go to the center of the planet.

At the center, gravity is equal all around you, so gravity cancels out, and you would feel as if there is no gravity (like in outer space)How would it feel to travel to the center of the Earth?Hot.

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