ESS200A
Prof. Jin-Yi Yu
Temperature Structures in the Solid Earth
From The Blue Planet
q The
lithospheric plates are riding on top of
a layer of hot, ductile, easily deformed
material called the asthenosphere, or “weak layer”.
q Heat moves by conduction above 100 km and by
convection below 100 km.
q Temperature at the center of the earth is
believed to close to 5000ºC.