Earth's Layers Activity
(Information presented in class and available on-line)
Directions: Go to the web site The Earth's Layers
http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Earths_layers/Earths_layers1.html
There is a link on my website that takes you to this site..
1. The Four Layers
The planet we call Earth has how many layers? ____________
Write them in order from the center to the outside of the planet.
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
2. Use the Earth diagram slide to answer these questions:
Name the thickest layer _____________________________________________
Name the thinnest layer _____________________________________________
Write as a fraction the relationship of the thinnest layer to the thickest layer.
Calculated to challenge. Perhaps you have imagined digging a tunnel through the earth that comes
out the other side. Figure it out ... How many miles would you have to dig?
3. Write 5 facts about the Earth's Crust from the Earth’s Crust slide:
a. Oceanic crust is__________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
b. Continental crust is________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
c. The temperature of the crust ranges from________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
d. The crust is broken into pieces called ________________that_________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
e. The crust is the ______________________________of the ______earth layers
4. Answer the following question below by going to the next slide:
The crust and the upper layer of the mantle together make up a zone of rigid, brittle rock called the
__________________________________________________________________________
5. Go to the next slide called “The Mantle” and answer these questions:
a. The mantle is the ___________________layer of earth and is_________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
b. The mantle is made of _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
c. This thick layer of rock___________like _______________because of___________________
________________________that cause it to ________________________________________
d. The temperature range for the mantle layer is _______________________________________
6. Convection Currents Slide
a. The plates of the crust _______________on the mantle like___________________________
b. Geologists think the mantle “flows” because of something called __________________________
c. Describe how this movement or ____________________
____________________ occur:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
d. These movements are like a very slow ______________________ ___________ that move the
___________________________________________________________________________.
7. Outer Core slide
a. The two metals found in the Outer Core,
are ___________ and _________________________
b. The temperature range for the Outer Core is_________________________(yikes!).
c. The outer core is this state of matter:________________________
The border between the Outer core and the Inner Core is how many miles beneath the crust? Make a
diagram to help you figure it out……
8. The Inner Core slide:
a. The Inner core is under so much pressure it does not move like a liquid but is instead a ________
ball of _________________.
b. The temperatures of the center of the Earth can get as high as_____________________; and
the pressure as high as _____________________ pounds per square inch!
9. Answer the questions on the last slide ~ look back at your notes if you need to….
a. Name the four layers of the Earth in order from the outside to the center of the Earth.
b. What causes the mantle to "flow"?
c. What are the two main metals that make up the outer and inner core?
d. Describe in your own words how the Earth's layers were formed (the first slide will help you).
10. Do A Piece of the Crust
A Piece of the Crust
The earth’s “crust”
refers to the layer of
rock which surrounds
our planet’s mantle
and core. Its thickness
ranges from
approximately 5 to 8
miles. The eight most
common elements in the earth's crust are listed
in this table:
Element
Portion of Crust
Oxygen
0.4660
Magnesium
0.0209
Iron
0.0500
Silicon
0.2772
Aluminum
0.0813
Potassium
0.0259
Sodium
0.0283
Calcium
0.0363
Order these elements in the earth's crust from
most abundant to least abundant. Estimate how
much the earth's crust is made up of the three
most abundant elements.
Bonus Question
Where did the geologist discover a double crust?