Earth Structure

This site tells the story of the history of the universe. Click Earlier and Later to follow the story.
Note: Many facts have been simplified to make them easier to understand.
Our new free weekly podcast Time Crystal tells this story as sci-fi fantasy

Inside the hot young Earth the heavy atoms such as iron were able to sink downwards to the center, forming a liquid metallic core of iron and nickel, possibly with a solid core at the very center. The central temperature is around 4,000°C.

The lighter atoms, such as silicon, floated upward around the outside of the core and formed the mantle.
Above this floats an ever changing thin crust 10 to 30 kilometers thick.