What’s the first thing you think of when you

hear the word “Earth”? Write it on your construction paper square as a hashtag. Example: #rivers (try to use a dark pen)

In your mind, think of an answer to this…If you had a box with a mystery object inside, how would you figure out what it was without opening the box?

5 minute thinker…

Earth’s Moving Plates

Mr. Perez

Density Earthquake Inner core Outer core Mantle Crust Lithosphere Asthenosphere Mesosphere

Plate

Important Vocabulary

Geologists learn about the interior of our Earth by

gathering indirect evidence1. WAVES

Waves travel faster through solid rock than liquid rock By sending seismic waves through Earth, scientists

measure their speed and note differences in their path Earthquake: sudden release in Earth’s crust, causing

Earth to shake

2. ROCKS Different rocks found in different places on Earth’s

surface Rocks formed deep in the Earth are pushed up to the

surface

Clues to Earth’s Interior

The seismic clues and rock clues suggest that

Earth is made up of layers of different kinds of materials.

Clues to Earth’s Interior

The Earth consists of 4 main layers:

1. Inner core2. Outer core3. Mantle4. Crust

Earth’s Layers

Set up your notes like this:

NAME OF LAYER: Definition Temperature Composition Thickness Fact(s)

Inner core: innermost layer of Earth (SOLID) Temperature: up to 9,000°F (hottest layer of

Earth) Composition: Dense layer composed of mostly

solid iron Thickness: about 1,250 km Fact: Under the greatest amount of pressure

(force pushing on an area)

Inner core

Outer core: layer of Earth that lies above the

inner core Temperature: 4,000 - 9,000°F Composition: Composed of molten (liquid)

metal Stops one type of seismic wave and speeds up

the other Thickness: about 2,220 km Fact: This layer is responsible for creating

Earth’s magnetic field

Outer core

Earth’s Magnetic Field

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Mantle: largest layer of the Earth Temperature: 1,600 - 4,000°F Composition: Composed of solid rock that

flows like putty; iron, magnesium, aluminum, silicon and oxygen

Thickness: about 2,900 km Fact: Contains convection currents that move

magma below the Earth

Mantle

Crust: Earth’s outermost layer Temperature: up to 1,600°F Composition: Composed of solid rock; calcium,

sodium and aluminum Thickness: about 0 – 100 km

Thinnest under the ocean (oceanic crust): 0-5 km Thickest under the continents (continental crust) 0-

30 km Fact: All of Earth’s surface features are part of

the crust

Crust

Oceanic crust is

made of basalt, a dark colored rock with fine grains

Continental crust is made of granite, a light colored rock with coarse grains

Crust

Although the Earth’s structure can be divided

into 4 basic layers, they can be also divided by physical properties that change with depth below the Earth’s surface

The deeper you go into the Earth, the following increase: Density Temperature Pressure

Earth’s Structures

Even though the crust is different from the

mantle, the uppermost part of the mantle moves like the crust. Lithosphere: rigid, upper part of the mantle and

crust Asthenosphere: plastic-like layer below the

lithosphere in the mantle Mesosphere: lower layer of the mantle that

borders the liquid outer core

Earth’s Plates

Mantle Divisions

Plates: sections of the Earth’s lithosphere and

crust Move very slowly on the asthenosphere.

Lasers and satellites can measure how far the plates move

The earth is broken up into about 30 different plates.

Earth’s Plates

http://www.education.com/study-help/article/e

arthscience-help-earth-mantle/

http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/fall05/malily/LayersofEarth.html

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/inside.html

Links

Florida Science Grade 6, Glencoe Science &

McGraw Hill Publishing Google image search

Sources