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Structure of the Earth

We get many useful substances from rocks, such as building

materials, metals and jewels. But where do we get the rocks
themselves from?
The Earth’s crust is made out of rocks. The Earth’s crust is
the thin outer layer of the Earth. It is about 30 km thick on land
and only about 8 km thick under the sea.

crust

mantle

inner core

outer core

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Cross-section of the Earth

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What is the Earth’s crust made of?

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Minerals and metals

Many of the useful substances we get from the Earth’s crust

are minerals, which can contain useful metals and other
substances.

Here are the names and formulae of some common minerals:

mineral formula substance extracted from it

haematite Fe2O3 iron
bauxite Al2O3 aluminium
galena PbS lead
rutile TiO2 titanium
chalcocite Cu2S copper

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Minerals and rocks

What is the difference between rocks and minerals?

Minerals have a set chemical composition.

Rocks do not have a set

composition and are often made up
of several different minerals and
other materials. For example, the
rock granite is made up of the
minerals quartz, feldspar and biotite.

Minerals are found in the Earth’s crust. Minerals that humans

use are usually extracted from mines.

An area that has a lot of a specific mineral is called a deposit.

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