Earth Surface

• Lithosphere

  The rigid, outermost layer of the Earth's rocks and minerals, which consists of the crust and upper mantle
• Tectonic plate

  Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into large slabs of solid rock, called "plates," that glide over Earth's mantle, the rocky inner layer above Earth's core
• Erosion


  The process of the breakdown and removal of rock debris. The rock debris removed by erosion are called sediments. Erosion and weathering are two different processes. Erosion removes the products of weathering, the rock debris that have come off the original rocks. Erosion is a dynamic process
• Relief

  Terrestrial relief is the term that defines the shapes of the earth's crust or lithosphere at the surface, both in relation to the land surface and to the oceanic relief, this is,the seabed
• The Earth is dynamic because it is constantly changing, reworking itself into new and complex forms
• Primary Earth layers

  • Crust
  • Mantle
  • Nucleus
• Crust

  The Earth's crust is the solid surface layer of the Earth. It is a very thin layer and consists of a continental crust
• Mantle

  The Earth's mantle is the layer of the Earth that lies between the crust and the nucleus
• Nucleus

  The deepest inner portion of our planet's structure, this is, its central sphere, is known as the Earth's nucleus
• Outer nucleus

  The outer nucleus is made of a molten material, it is handled as a fluid
• Inner nucleus

  The inner nucleus is known to be a sphere of iron and nickel. Its temperature is almost as high as that of the Sun . But it is at such a depth that it remains a solid sphere of metal
• External agents that change the Earth's surface

  • Weathering
  • Erosion
  • Transport
• Internal energy

  Comes from the Earth's core, where radioactive decay generates heat
• External energy


  Comes from the Sun, which drives processes such as weathering, erosion, and the water cycle
• Parts of a river

  • River source
  • Main river
  • River mouth
• River source

  Near the source, rivers flow at a high velocity because the valleys are steep and the river bed is still narrow. Up there, the water flow is mostly erosive, carving out gorges and deep valleys