Name ___________________________
Class ___________________________________ TEKS 0.2A, 6.2B, 6.2C, 6.21). 6.3A, 6.6C, 7.I4A
Teacher ________________________
Date ___________________________
Forces that Shape Earth Using Snickers to Study Plate Tectonics Student Lab
Sheet Introduction The rigid upper part of the mantle and the crust is called the
lithosphere. The lithosphere is broken into plates that move around on the asthenosphere.
The Earth's crust is thin and greatly affected by the movement ofthe.se plates. In this
activity, you will use Snickers bars to illustrate the movement of these plates, also known
as plate tectonics.
Vocabulary Builder: Matching
Directions: Write the letter of the correct definition in the blank beside the numbered
vocabulary term.
__ 1. Plate Tectonics
a. The pulling force that moves apart plates.
__ 2. Crust
b. Sections of the lithosphere that move on the asthenosphere.
__ 3. Tension
c. The breaking of rock layers due to faulting.
__ 4. Fault
d. Large fractures in rocks along which movement occurs.
__5. Plates
e.
Theory involving the movement of Earth's plates.
_6. Asthenosphere
f.
The pushing force that moves plates together.
__ 7. Shearing
g. The plastic like part of the mantle on which plates move.
8. Compression
h. Earth's outermost laver.
Safety First! Wash your hands before completing this activity. Notify your teacher if you
are unable to eat candy, due to dietary concerns. (It is not necessary to eat the candy in
order to complete this lab.)
Materials
1 Snickers or Milky Way candy bar. student lab sheet
Procedure
1. Wash hands before completing this activity.
2. Using your fingernail, make a few breaks in the "crust" or lop of the candy bar.
Record your observations on the Snickers Geology chart.
3. Gently pull on the edges of the candy bar. This is tension. As these "plates" move
apart, you can now see the caramel. This is the asthenosphere. Record your
observations on the chart.
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t'sing Snickers Id Study Plalc Tectonics
Student I.ah Slice I icnnlinucil.l
Procedure (Continued)
4. Push the ""plates'' back together, then slide one-half of the candy bar forward and
the other half backwards. This is called shearing. Record your observations.
5. Push on both ends of the candy bar to squeeze it together. This is called
compression. You should notice the plates colliding and possibly see one plate
slide over the top of another. Record your observations.
Observations
Snickers Geology
Type of Movement
Observations
Breaks in crust (faults.)
The pulling apart of plates (tension.)
The sliding of plates (shearing.)
The pushing together of plates (compression.)
TAKS Snack! TEKS 6.6C
When one plate slides below another plate, the geologic feature that is formed is a:
a) volcano
b) earthquake
c) mountain
d) valley
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