Name________________________________________ Date_____________ Period____
Creating a Model of the Earth’s Crust
Skill Builder
Background:
The outermost layer of the Earth’s surface is called the ________.
The crust is equivalent to the ________ of an apple in ________________,
relative to the entire Earth. Yet this thin tiny layer is what we think of as
“________
________,” with mountains, valleys, continents, ocean beds, etc.
Although it feels solid and hard beneath our feet, the outer surface is actually
________ and fractured like an ________. The pieces of the earth are called
________ ________. The ________ is rich in ________, ________
and ________, with lesser amounts of other elements like ________ .The
crusts ________ ________ enables it to ________ on the denser mantle.
Beneath the crust is a complex middle region known ________. It is a
broad layer of ________ ________ ________. The mantle is relatively
flexible so it ________ instead of fracturing. The mantle extends to a depth of
about ________. The mantle is thought to be made up of mostly ________ ,
________, ________, and ________.
The ________ of our planet is composed or mostly ________ and
________ and remains very hot even after ________ ________ of
________. Estimates of the core’s temperature are about 7000 K. The
________ is the densest of the Earth’s layers. The core is divided into two parts:
The ________ ________ ________ and at the Earth’s center- the
________ ________ ________ ________. Despite the tremendous
temperatures this layer is
________ due to immense
________ of the overlying layers.
The sharp boundary between
the crust and mantle is called the
Mohorovicic discontinuity or
Moho. While the Gutenberg
discontinuity seperates the mantle
from the core.
Materials
 Cardstock “Pie Slice of Earth”
 Red, orange and yellow
coloring supplies
 Scissors
 Tape
Procedure:
 Obtain and build the “Pie
Slice of Earth”
 Answer the questions on the back
Name________________________________________ Date_____________ Period____
Creating a Pie Slice Model of the Earth’s Crust: Answer Sheet
Questions – Use the information found on your model to answer the following questions.
1. What are the four major layers of the Earth?
1. ___________________________
2. ___________________________
3. ___________________________
4. __________________________
Inner core:
2. What is the radius of the inner core?
3. What is the inner core made of?
4. Is the inner core a solid or a liquid?
Outer core:
5. What is the thickness of the outer core?
6. What is the outer core made of?
7. Is the outer core a solid or a liquid?
8. What is the rotation of the outer core believed to create?
Mantle:
9. What is the thickness of the mantle?
10. What is the mantle made of?
11. Is the mantle a solid or a liquid?
Crust:
12. What is the thickness of the crust?
13. What is the crust made of?
14. Is the crust a liquid or a solid
Sequencing:
15. Place the 4 layers of the Earth in the correct order from outside to inside.
16. Place the 4 layers of the Earth in the correct order from hottest to coolest.
17. Place the 4 layers of the Earth in the correct order from most dense to least dense.
18. Place the 4 layers of the Earth in the correct order from highest pressure to lowest
pressure.
Earth Structure:
19. What is the diameter of our planet?
20. Write a sentence or two that describes the basic structure of Earth.
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