This simulator opens a radial cutaway of Earth from the crust down to the solid inner core. Slide a depth probe from the surface to the center, see which layer it is in, and compare each layer's thickness and volume share with Earth's 6,371 km radius.
• A real-time 3D scene with 5 inspectable parts (Crust, Solid mantle, Liquid outer core, Solid inner core and Depth probe), with home view, focus-selected-part, auto-rotate, expand, instrument-cover and hide-labels scene tools, plus a model response curve beneath the scene. • Experiment controls: Probe depth (0-6371 km); sweep the depth probe; show slow mantle deformation markers; show explanatory motion markers; pause/resume, 0.1 s and 1 s single-step buttons, four playback speeds and a restart button. • A Curves & measurements tab with a parameter-comparison chart, a live-measurements chart, the model equations and snapshot readouts (Probe depth; Distance from center; Layer index (1–4); Selected layer / Earth volume). • An Experiments tab with 2 guided presets (outer core and inner core) and a Model verification bench that runs independent fresh models, plus a timestamped event log and a copyable trial report. • A Learn & assess tab with guided lessons, a knowledge-check quiz with reset and a written model-scope statement linking to a technical reference.
The model uses representative concentric boundaries: crust to 35 km, solid mantle to 2,891 km, liquid outer core to 5,150 km and a solid inner core below that. The probe depth slider runs from 0 to 6,371 km, and the lab reports probe depth, distance from the center, the layer index and the selected layer's share of Earth's volume.
Shell volume fractions are computed as the outer radius cubed minus the inner radius cubed, divided by the planet radius cubed, which is why the thin crust is a tiny volume fraction and the mantle dominates.
Most of the mantle is solid rock that deforms very slowly, so it is not a global ocean of magma; the slow-deformation markers illustrate convection, not measured flow speeds. The outer core is liquid and the inner core is solid.
Depth here means radial distance below the surface. Pressure is not calculated, the layers are smooth spheres rather than a map of lateral structure, and the lab performs no seismic inversion or geodynamo calculation.
No. Most of the mantle is solid rock that flows extremely slowly over geologic time. Molten material is found in localized regions, and the only liquid layer in this model is the outer core.
The crust, mantle and inner core are solid, and the outer core is liquid. The depth probe and layer labels identify which layer you are in at any depth.
Radial distance below the surface, from 0 to 6,371 km. The lab also reports distance from Earth's center, but it does not calculate pressure or temperature at that depth.
Because volume grows with the cube of radius and the crust is only about 35 km thick in the model. The shell volume fraction readout quantifies this against the mantle and cores.