Download Layers of the Earth Lab Activity Instructions Purp

Name_________________________
Date: _____________________ Period: __________
Layers of the Earth Lab Activity Instructions
Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to draw a model of the five physical layers of Earth.
Objectives: Students will be able to describe the five layers of Earth and the characteristics of each.
Materials:
 white paper
 colored pencils
 metric ruler
 compass
 pencil
 string (1m in length)
Procedure:
Check off each task as you do it.
1. Obtain a piece of white paper.
2. Find the center of the page and mark it
a. Use a compass or a string and pencil draw the proper thickness of the inner core from
the center mark you made.
b. The diameter of the inner core is 2460 km.
c. Using a scale of .01 cm for 1 km find out how many cm the diameter will be on your
paper. Show work and answer here:
d. Now find the radius you will use on your compass or string and pencil Show work here:
3. Draw the inner core. The inner core is the solid, dense center of our planet that extends from
the bottom of the outer core to the center of Earth, which is about 6,380 km beneath the Earth’s
surface.
a. If you do not have a large enough compass or string place a series of dots around the
outer edge of the inner core
b. Connect the dots to form a circle around inner core.
c. Label the inside of this circle 'inner core.'
d. Color this area yellow.
e. In this region show the thickness percentage the inner core is in comparison to the whole
core. Look in your book on page 196 and 197 for help on how to do this calculation.
Please place this percentage on your diagram. Show calculation:
f. On your diagram include one fact about this layer that you learned or find interesting.
4. Draw the outer core. The second most inner layer, the outer core, extends 3430 km from the
center of the Earth and has a thickness of 2,200 km. It is the liquid layer of the Earth’s core. It
lies beneath the mantle and surrounds the inner core.
a. Using a scale of .01 cm for 1 km find out how many cm the radius will be on your paper.
Show work and answer here :
b. Label this layer 'Outer Core.'
c. Color this area orange.
d. In this region show the thickness percentage the outer core is in comparison to the whole
core. Look in your book on page 196 and 197 for help on how to do this calculation.
Please place this percentage on your diagram. Show calculation:
e. On your diagram include one fact about this layer that you learned or find interesting.
5. Draw the mesosphere. The third layer from the inside of the Earth, the mesosphere, extends
5980 km from the center of the Earth. This is the strong lower part of the mantle. Rock here
flows more slowly than rock in the asthenosphere does. The mesosphere is 2,550 km thick.
a. Using a scale of .01 cm for 1 km find out how many cm the radius will be on your paper.
Please place this percentage on your diagram. Show work and answer here :
b. Label this layer ‘mesosphere’.
c. Color this area blue.
a. In this region show the thickness percentage the Mesosphere is in comparison to the
Mantle. Look in your book on page 196 and 197 for help on how to do this calculation.
Please place this percentage on your diagram. Show calculation:
f. On your diagram include one fact about this layer that you learned or find interesting.
5. Draw the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere is a layer of weak or soft mantle that is made of
rock that flows slowly. Tectonic Plates move on top of this layer. It is 6230 km from the center of
the Earth. It is 250 km thick.
b. Label this layer ‘asthenosphere’.
c. Color this area red.
d. In this region show the thickness percentage the Asthenosphere is in comparison to the
Mantle. Look in your book on page 196 and 197 for help on how to do this calculation.
Please place this percentage on your diagram. Show calculation:
e. On your diagram include one fact about this layer that you learned or find interesting.
6. Draw the lithosphere. The outermost, rigid layer of Earth is the lithosphere. It is made of two
parts- the crust and the rigid, upper part of the mantle. The lithosphere is divided into pieces
called tectonic plates.
a. Label this next layer ‘lithosphere’.
b. Break this layer up with a dotted line representing the part of the lithosphere is part of the
continental crust (from the surface to 30 km)
i. Color this part of the layer green.
ii. Then color the mantle part of the lithosphere brown.
c. In this region show what percentage of the lithosphere is made up of the Continental
Crust and then which percentage of the lithosphere is made up of the Mantle. Look in
your book on page 196 and 197 for help on how to do this calculation. Please place this
percentage on your diagram. Show calculation:
d. On your diagram include one fact about this layer that you learned or find interesting.
Name:_____________________________ Date:______________________
Period:_______
Category
Measurement
5 points
All of the layers
have accurate
measurements.
4 points
4 of the layers
have accurate
measurements.
3 points
3 of the layers
have accurate
measurements.
2 points
2 of the layers
have accurate
measurements.
Facts
All of the layers
have a correct
fact stated on
the diagram.
All of the layers
have the
correct
percentage
labeled on the
diagram.
All of the layers
are labeled
and identified
correctly.
All of the layers
are identified,
labeled, and
color coded
correctly.
4 of the layers
have a correct
fact stated on
the diagram.
4 of the layers
have the
correct
percentage
labeled on the
diagram.
4 of the layers
are labeled
and identified
correctly.
4 of the layers
are identified,
labeled, and
color coded
correctly.
3 of the layers
have a correct
fact stated on
the diagram.
3 of the layers
have the
correct
percentage
labeled on the
diagram.
3 of the layers
are labeled
and identified
correctly.
3 of the layers
are identified,
labeled, and
color coded
correctly.
2 of the layers
have a correct
fact stated on
the diagram.
2 of the layers
have the
correct
percentage
labeled on the
diagram.
2 of the layers
are labeled
and identified
correctly.
2 of the layers
are identified,
labeled, and
color coded
correctly.
Calculations
Identification
Legend/Key
1 point
1 of the layers
has an
accurate
measurement.
1 of the layers
has a correct
fact stated on
the diagram.
1 of the layers
has the correct
percentage
labeled on the
diagram.
1 of the layers
are labeled
and identified
correctly.
1 the layers is
identified,
labeled, and
color coded
correctly.
****If there is a category that is not met at all you will receive 0 points for that category.****