The Earth’s Layers
Objective:
• The learner will be able to
identify characteristics of
the Earth's layers.
In this activity you will:
• Learn about the earth’s
layers.
• At the end of this lesson you
will write a report about the
layers of the Earth using 4
facts you learned.
The Earth is divided into three
layers.
Crust
• The crust is the layer that
you live on so it is the
most widely studied and
understood.
Crust
• The crust is made of the
lightest matter and the
core consists of heavy
metals
Crust
• The Earth's Crust is like the
skin of an apple. It is very thin
in comparison to the other
three layers.
Crust
• The crust of the Earth is
broken into many pieces
called plates. The plates
move along the soft mantle
which is the layer located
located below the crust.
Crust
• The plates move along smoothly
but sometimes they get stuck and
pressure builds up.
Crust
The pressure builds and
causes an Earthquake as
rocks break and crack.
San Francisco City Hall after the 1906
Earthquake. (from Steinbrugge Collection of
the UC Berkeley Earthquake Engineering
Research Center)
Mantle
• The mantle is the largest layer of
the Earth.
• It is made of hot, dense rock. The
rock in the mantle flows like
asphalt because of the temperature
differences found in the mantle.
Mantle
• The movement
of the mantle
create the
movement of
the Earth’s
plates.
Core
• The core of the Earth is
much like a ball of very
hot metals. The inner core
is surrounded by a fluid
iron outer core.
Core
Resources
• Enchanted Learning’s
Earth
• The Earth’s Layers
Writing Activity
• Write a paragraph about
the earth’s layers. Include
4 facts from this
presentation.