The Earth's thinnest layer is the crust. This outermost layer accounts for less than 1% of the planet's total volume.
Understanding the Earth's Layers
The Earth is composed of several distinct layers:
- Crust: The thin, solid outermost layer. It's divided into oceanic crust (thinner and denser) and continental crust (thicker and less dense).
- Mantle: A much thicker layer beneath the crust, primarily composed of solid rock.
- Outer Core: A liquid layer composed mainly of iron and nickel.
- Inner Core: A solid sphere at the Earth's center, also primarily iron and nickel.
Multiple sources confirm the crust's status as the thinnest layer. For example, Byju's states that the crust accounts for "much less than 1% of its total volume" [https://byjus.com/question-answer/what-is-the-earths-thinnest-layer/]. Similarly, Zmescience describes the crust as "the thinnest layer of the Earth, amounting for less than 1% of our planet's volume" [https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/geology-and-paleontology/planet-earth/thinnest-layer-earth/]. Numerous other sources, including Socratic [https://socratic.org/questions/what-is-the-earth-s-thinnest-layer] and Toppr [https://www.toppr.com/ask/question/the-thinnest-layer-of-the-earth-is/], corroborate this information.
The significant difference in thickness between the crust and other layers, particularly the mantle (which is significantly thicker), further emphasizes the crust's status as the thinnest layer.
