DBH 3.
BIOLOGY & GEOLOGY
The internal heat of the Earth
The interior of the Earth is hotter than the exterior, because of the heat generated when the Earth was formed and the remains inside it.
The temperature in the inner core is higher than in the Sun´s surface, above 6,000 ºC. Measured from the Earth´s surface the temperature increases by about 30ºC/km in depth.
ACTIVITIES
Search for new vocabulary and build up a particular section of related vocabulary.
1. Answer these questions.
a. What is the origin of the Earth internal energy?
b. How were the layers of the Earth formed?
c. Why can be explain that the inner core is solid while the outer core, colder, is molten?
2. Complete the sketch with the following words: light, high, cold, heavy, hot, low. What does it represent?
The Earth´s internal heat, called geothermal energy, is responsible for the internal dynamics of the geosphere. This energy is slowly released from the inner layers to the surface.
The intense heat of the deeep mantle, heated by the core, provokes the rocks to melt. As the melt they become less dense, and rise towards the surface. At the same time, rocks of the upper mantle, colder and denser sink to a deeper zones, where they heat up and rise up agian. This circulation of materias is known as convenction currents.
