The crust is the outer silicate layer above the Moho. The mantle is the solid silicate shell between the Moho and the core–mantle boundary, at a depth of about . The outer core is the liquid metallic shell between the core–mantle boundary and the inner-core boundary, at about depth. The inner core is the solid metallic sphere below it, of radius about .
| boundary in PREM | depth (km) | radius (km) | what changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moho | 24.4 | 6346.6 | crust above, peridotite below; 6.8 to 8.1 |
| 220-km discontinuity | 220 | 6151 | base of the low-velocity zone in PREM |
| 400-km discontinuity | 400 | 5971 | olivine to wadsleyite ( in most studies) |
| 670-km discontinuity | 670 | 5701 | ringwoodite to bridgmanite and ferropericlase ( in most studies) |
| core–mantle boundary | 2891 | 3480 | silicate to liquid iron; 7.3 to 0; 5.57 to 9.90 |
| inner-core boundary | 5149.5 | 1221.5 | liquid to solid iron; 0 to 3.5; 12.17 to 12.76 |