the layers of the earth copy

1. The Layers of the
Earth!

2. Directions for today’s activity:
• Use the templates to cut the layers of the Earth out of construction paper:
• Use:
– Green for the crust
– Light brown for the mantle
– Yellow for the outer core
– Red for the inner core
• Lay them one on top of the other like in this diagram:

3. Next. . .
• Fold all of the circles down the middle (where the dotted line is in the figure).
Then glue the bottom layers down to hold them in place.
• You have just made a slice of the Earth! Hold on to this until everyone is
finished and we’ll learn a little bit more about each part. You’ll be taking
notes on the upper half of the Earth.
Glue these layers down

4. Earth Layers
• The Earth is divided into four main
layers.
*Crust
*Mantle
*Outer core
*Inner core

5. http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/DisplayImage.cfm?ID=124

6. The Crust
* The Earth’s crust is the
outermost surface.
*It is a very thin layer of solid
rock. It is the thinnest layer
of the Earth.
*The crust is 5-35km thick
beneath the land and 1-8km
thick beneath the oceans.
* The crust of the Earth is
broken into many pieces
called plates. The movement
of these plates causes
earthquakes.

7. The Lithosphere
• On your mantle layer, draw a
dotted line around the very
edge of the circle. This is
the lithosphere.
• The lithosphere is composed
of part of the crust and the
upper part of the mantle (the
top 100 km).
• It is composed of hard,
brittle rock

8. The Athenosphere
* The athenosphere is the
part of the mantle
underneath the
lithosphere. Draw a
dashed line about an inch
under your dotted line.
* It is made of molten rock
and metal so that it
“flows” like hot asphalt.
* The athenosphere is the
part of the mantle that
moves and causes the
tectonic plates of the
crust to move as well.

9. The Mantle
* The mantle is the largest
layer of the Earth. It is
2900km thick.
*It includes the lithosphere and
athenosphere.
*It is relatively flexible—it
flows like very viscous liquid.
*It is very hot—1600°F at the
top and 4000°F towards the
center of the Earth.

10. The Core
* The core of the Earth is
like a ball of very hot
metals. The core is divided
into 2 layers—Outer and
Inner.
* The core is SO hot and has
SO much pressure that if
you were to go there—you
would be squished into
something even smaller than
a marble.

11. The Outer Core
* The outer core is liquid
metal iron and nickel
with 10% sulfur and/or
oxygen.
* It is very hot—
4000-9000°F.
* The outer core is
2,250km thick.

12. The Inner Core
* The inner core is solid
metal due to the
extreme heat and
pressure.
* It is composed of iron
and nickel. It is
responsible for the
magnetic field the Earth
generates.
* The inner core is 800km
thick and is 9000°F.

13. Review
1) What are the four layers of the Earth?
2) The Earth’s crust is very ______?
3) The mantle is the largest layer of the
Earth? True or False
4) Is the Outer Core a liquid or a solid?

14. Answers!
1) Crust, Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core
2) Thin
3) True
4) Liquid