Which statement about Earth's crust is accurate?

Which statement about Earth's crust is accurate?

• A. It is the Earth's outermost solid layer.
• B. It is the Earth's molten layer.
• C. It lies beneath the mantle.
• D. It is the Earth's gaseous layer.

Answer: (A)

Earth's crust is the outermost solid layer of the planet. It forms the land we walk on and the ocean floors, and it stays rigid and rocky while the much hotter mantle lies beneath. The mantle can flow slowly and is not part of the crust, and the atmosphere above is a gaseous layer, not solid. So describing the crust as the outermost solid layer correctly identifies its position and state, distinct from the molten-like mantle beneath and the gaseous atmosphere above.

Earth's crust is the outermost solid layer of the planet. It forms the land we walk on and the ocean floors, and it stays rigid and rocky while the much hotter mantle lies beneath. The mantle can flow slowly and is not part of the crust, and the atmosphere above is a gaseous layer, not solid. So describing the crust as the outermost solid layer correctly identifies its position and state, distinct from the molten-like mantle beneath and the gaseous atmosphere above.