how does scientist discover the layers of the earth?
90855
Main methods --\n(1)studying the patterns of vibrational echoes returned from surface and subsurface man-made explosions;\n(2)studying data gathered by instruments during earthquakes;\n(3)studying volcanic materials
166876
I figure the only places left are some of the more inaccesable dense rainforests of the South American continent. But the other possibility would be underground, cavers or speliologists have been trying to probe the depths of the earth by exploring underground caves and tunnels as well as flooded waterwaters to see how far they can go below the earth. That besides the oceans must be the last place where humans have never ever set foot on in this earth.
712469
The earth's crustal plates float on a layer called the Mantle, and it is convection in this mantle which drives the continental drift or plate tectonics.
466637
geology is earth science.
1156287
it's the core of the earth. lava. melted rock.etc
164234
This is a complicated question to answer completely, but there are some things one knows.\n\n1. S waves will not travel through fluids since they are tranaverse waves. If there is a part of the earth (like the outer core) that S waves will not travel through, then you know it is fluid. \n\n2. Different types of materials have different speeds of P and S waves\n\n3. Waves can get trapped at boundaries and get to the destination faster (head waves)\n\n4. Waves will bounce off boundaries between two different materials, and show up in the recordings. \n\n5. There are formulae giving speeds of P and S waves in terms of the continuum mechanical properties of the material. \n\n6. The phases, frequencies, and amplitudes, phase and group velocities, travel times, etc of the waves that travel through the earth are all data that can be used to infer the earth's structure. \n\nThere is a lot of analysis that is conducted on seismic data to produce pictures of the interior. The signals are carefully processed, and then turned into pictures of the interior. \n\nOf course, there is a lot more detail in all of this, but this should give you a general idea to start.\n\n----------------\n\n\nHere is a my answer to a previous question about this that might be helpful:\n\n  \n\n\n \n\nThe types of seismic waves, and their amplitudes and speeds, that are transmitted through a material depend on the properties of the material. \n\nFor example, transverse waves will not travel through liquids, only solids. So the transverse S waves produced by a seismic event will not pass through the fluid inner core of the earth. Different layers between different types of materials in the earth produce reflections, so looking at the reflected seismic waves can tell something about the structure and the boundaries between regions in the earth. \n\nMore sophisticated methods for imaging the earth's interior can also be constructed. Seismic simulations can be produced and the models that produced these simulations compared with the observed seismic signals. Using exhaustion or more sophisticated optimization techniques, scientists can refine these models of earth structure. More advanced inverse methods can be developed to infer features of earth structure. \n\nInstead of using high frequency seismic waves, one can look at a seismic modal decomposition, and then develop terrestrial models that reproduce the frequencies, amplitudes and phases of the observed free oscillations using inverse methods.\n\nThe actual details can be quite complicated, and many aspects remain open problems.\n\n-----------\n\nI have attached a link to the previous question and answers that are similar.
241652
If you are talking about the core of the Earth or other planet, it is helpful but not complete. Scientists use other things as well (like sound transmission rates) to analyze the Earth's core. But they were probably the primary creators of the core a long time ago.
586964
Seismologists can do so. They have special adapted equipment to measure the tremours of the earth with a luminograph(i'm not sure about the spelling). It is a pencil sketching graphs on paper always and when the ground trembles, there is an unevenity in the graph. Seisomologists also can see how the position of coastal plates have changed to predict earthquakes.
79826
Since this is your first question for Yahoo! answers I would like to make sure you have a good experience and be sure you get a good answer. I am an earth scientist, specifically a geologist. I specialize in sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of carbonate rocks. What I love about carbonate rocks is that they were all 'born.' Carbonate rocks are made from living things like oysters, clams, coral, algae, and even microbes. Sedimentology is the study of how these rocks formed as they were laid down as sediments, and sequence stratigraphy is the study of how those rock deposits are related in space and time to cycles of the earth's orbit and changing sea levels.  Another special interest of mine is speleology, the study of caves, and I am most interested in paleocaves which are ancient caves that in most cases have collapsed and been buried. \n\nEarth science is one of the most inclusive of all fields of science. Some fields of earth science are geology, oceanography, atmospheric science, glaciology, hydrology, and soil science. In practice earth science uses chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, geography, and often includes engineering as well. Many "earth" scientists also study other planets. One of my friends makes maps of Venus. There are interdisciplinary fields of earth science like biogeochemistry which studys the cylces of things like carbon, nitrogen, and other chemicals through the environment. \n\nAs a geoscientist I have had the good fortune to work in many interesting places, such as Chile, Ethiopia, Albania, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Mexico, and just about every state in the US. I visited the world's largest copper mines in Chile, and the worlds driest desert, the Atacama. I worked in the Awash basin in Ethiopia among the Afar tribes. I worked in caves in Barbados and in Puerto Rico. I spent several years working in the Grand Canyon, and have been on top of Mt. St. Helens, the well known volcano. I have also visited volcanoes in Hawaii. I can think of no other field of study that can lead to so many exotic places. I can also say with certainty that I have been places on this planet where no other man had been before me, deep inside of caves. I've also had the great pleasure of studying carbonate rocks in the ocean, by diving.  \n\nAn ineresting website that describes the varied things an earth scientist does:\nhttp://www.earthsci.org/education/careers/geolo/geolo.html\n\nAGI has a lot of interesting earth science images:\nhttp://www.earthscienceworld.org/imagebank/index.html\n\nHere is a USGS website where you can see a live image of a volcanic eruption (when they get snow cleaned off the webcam): http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Augustine.php\n\nOne of the best link sites for earth sciences:\nhttp://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/EarthLinks.html
334211
Igneous, they tell us a lot about what the age of the Earth and location of the poles.\n\nSedimentary, tell us the climate of an area and preserve fossils.\n\nMetamorphic, they look cool but are hard to tell anything from.  Their general location tells us of orogenies and faults.\n\nAll rocks are important and different geologists study different things.  Oil bearing shale is important to some geologist since if we can figure out an economical method of extraction we wouldn't be dependent on other countries for oil.\n\nGeology is like a big puzzle, and it's interesting seeing how the pieces fit together.
262859
being a scientist does not mean that you keep your discoveries secret. It means you discuss them with other people to see what they think about it. Discussion with somebody can (ideally) advance your ideas in \n-giving you ideas how to test your conclusions, to \n-see your conclusions from a different viewpoint and maybe \n-point flaws and weaknesses out, which you can improve on, \n-may have information about your specific problem or similar problem which you haven't happened across yet (nobody can read everything any more). \n\nUnless you work as a scientist for a company or goverment agency which insists that you keep results confidential you should share them. \nIn your case maybe with your science teacher or with fellow students. Depends on personalities who is more appropriate.
981056
You need a Geologist!
212250
Observe how climate creates the landscape you observe. Work backwards from the landscape to figure out what chemical and weather processes created those formations.
850204
ALL of the evidence points to a solid earth. Zero evidence points to hollow earth. In fact, how could there even be earthquakes with a hollow earth? How could we measure them all over the world if the earth was hollow? How could gravity allow a holoow earth to form? How could volcanic eruptions happen with a hollow earth?\n\nThere is only evidence for a solid earth. Hollow earth people are complete based in non-science.\n\nThere is a reason that your links refer to paranormal.  There is an 'alternative' science section of Y!A, why don't you post there.
119467
Plate tectonics is deeply connected with physics, and was discovered by geophysicists using techniques from physics.\n\nFor example:\n\n1. Fluid mechanics\n2. continuum mechanics\n3. electromagnetism\n4. newton's laws\n\nPlate tectonics was discovered by looking at stripes of magnetization on the sea floor. These are from the earth's field, which is caused by a dynamo, which is very complicated physics, involving electromagnetism and fluid mechanics. The plates move because of entrainment by moving fluids beneath. There is a lot of thermodynamics involved in the heat transfer and the cooling of the plates after they emerge from a midcean ridge; they contract as they cool. There is continuum mechanics involved in the deformation of the plates as they collide or get subducted. Islands on the plate surface can cause the plates to flex, and this is studied by continuum mechanics. One could make a very extensive list, that would probably include quantum mechanics, and even nuclear physics (which creates the heat that drives the plates), and only exclude quantum effects.
532046
woohoo geology... lets see if I remember anything...\n\nOkay here is a basic thing, the composition of rocks, especially it's silicate level, can tell us much about the molten/semimolten layers of Earth.... Okay I was enver very good in this subject, so look here...\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology
71856
The deepest "hole" drilled into the Earths Crust was 4,644 feet deep. Scientist were trying to reach the Moho, a boundary formally known as the Mohorovicic discontinuity. It marks the division between Earth's brittle outer crust and the hotter, softer mantle