Earth's crust ranges from 5 to 70 kilometers in thickness and serves as the planet's outermost layer. This thin shell represents less than one percent of Earth's total mass, yet it's the only layer we ...

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." To understand the mantle—the largest layer of Earth’s rocky body—scientists drill deep cores out of the ...

Earth's deep mantle stored enough water in rocks to equal one ocean during our planet's early molten days, helping explain ...

What is the chemical composition of the Earth’s interior? Because it is impossible to drill more than about ten kilometres deep into the Earth, volcanic rocks formed by melting Earth’s deep interior ...

With modern seismic tomography, Earth scientists have discovered that above Earth's core-mantle boundary (CMB), about 2,900 ...

There is more to Earth than what we can see on the surface. Both the exterior and interior regions of the planet are made up of many layers with various properties. These layers are formed because of ...

The Earth with the upper mantle revealed. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered a previously unknown layer of partly molten rock in a key region just below the tectonic ...

Drilling straight through the Earth, from the surface to the other side of the globe, is an idea that has captivated minds ...

Earth’s deep interior still shapes the world above your feet. Water trapped far below the surface helps control how rocks ...

Maletsunyane Falls in the Lesotho Highlands shows how a river can erode deep valleys into uplifted lands. Jacques Marais via Getty Images Considering how long humans have been on Earth, it’s ...

To understand the mantle—the largest layer of Earth’s rocky body—scientists drill deep cores out of the Earth. Scientists drilled the deepest core yet and recovered serpentinized peridotite that forms ...