Download YOU Crazy Earth

Chapters 5 & 6:
Inside the Restless Earth
Wild, Wild Earth!
an online geologic investigation
Well, it should seem obvious to you at this point… you don’t have to be a
geologist to figure it out: the Earth is out of control!
To better understand why this is so, let’s further analyze the Earth by heading to
www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/. You’ll know you’re
where you need to be if you see this:
Follow the links mentioned in this packet and look for the information requested.
**NOTE: Bullet points in italics are instructions or reminders. Regular
bullet points ask for information.
1) Introduction
 Click on “Start your exploration with Earth's Structure.” to
begin.
2) Earth’s Structure
 Move the cursor over the different layers of the Earth to find out
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more about them. Notice how the layers turn yellow in both
diagrams?
Crust: How thick is it under oceans? _______________ km
How thick under the continents? ______________ km
Mantle: This dense layer made up of hot, ____________________
rock is located directly below the crust.
Outer Core: This liquid layer is a “sea” of mostly _____________
and _____________.
Inner Core: This is a solid sphere, which has a diameter of roughly
__________ km.
continued on next page
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Lithosphere: This is a combination of both the crust and the
___________________. It is divided into several ______________
moving plates.
Asthenosphere: The tectonic plates move around on top of this
____________________ (which means able to move and change),
semiliquid zone.
Click on “Next Chapter: Plate Tectonics”
3) Plate Tectonics
 Follow the directions in the blue box to take you to the next step.
 Click on “HOW DO WE KNOW THIS?”
 Check out the “Continents on the Move” section.
 200 million years ago: Pangaea splits up into ________________
and _________________
 135 million years ago: Gondwana splintered (broke apart) further
into the ___________________________ landmass and the
______________________________ landmass.
 65 million years ago: __________________ and _______________
separate from Africa.
 50-40 million years ago: The ________________ landmass collides
with Asia.
 Plate tectonics theory explains how and why _________________ ,
___________________ , and other geologic events occur.
 Click on “Continents Over Time” to continue.
 Try the puzzle until you get it right, then answer the bonus
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question.
Scientists believe that roughly 250 million years from now the
Earth’s continents will be joined again. What name has been given
to this future landmass? _________________________________
Click on the “Plate Boundaries” link to move on.
4) Plates & Boundaries
 Which is thicker: continental or oceanic crust? (circle one)
 Which tectonic plate contains the continents of Asia and Europe?
__________________________________
 What is an example of a convergent boundary?
______________________________________________________
 What is an example of a divergent boundary?
______________________________________________________
 What is an example of a transform boundary?
______________________________________________________
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continued on next page
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Scroll down until you see this map:
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Move the cursor over the items in the map key. Boundaries will
light up in different colors on the map.
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What kind of boundary is there along the western coast of South
America? ____________________________________
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Click on “Plates and Boundaries Challenge” to continue.
Read the directions before you click on “Begin”.
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What was your score for the second part of the challenge?
____________ out of 22.
You can either try these challenges again by clicking on “Review”,
or click on “next” to move on.
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How many plates did you correctly place? ___________
Read the directions before beginning the second part of the
challenge. This is a little harder, so read carefully!
5) Slip, Slide, & Collide
 Check the photo credits on the bottom of this page.
 What volcano is shown erupting in the picture (in black and white)?
________________________________
 Click on “See what happens at different plate boundaries” to
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continue.
Convergent Boundaries – Colliding Plates: Scroll down to the
first diagram
 Move the cursor over the words for more information.
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What is the definition of “trench” in this diagram? _____________
______________________________________________________
Scroll down past the next diagram a little further.
Subduction zones lead to the formation of chains of islands known
as _____________________________.
A tsunami is a __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________.
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Scroll down to the next diagram, and move the cursor over the
words for more information.
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A ____________________ is the border between two tectonic
plates.
continued on next page
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In the next paragraph: The two best-known peaks of the Himalayas
are Mt. Everest and _______. Both are over ____________ meters
(26,000 feet) high.
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Click on “Next” to continue.
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Scroll down to the next diagram.
Click on “START” to view the animation.
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Divergent Boundaries – Spreading Plates: When two
continental plates diverge (move apart), a valley-like ___________
develops.
What fills up the rift valley, as the plates are moving apart?
________________________
Scroll down to the next diagram.
The San Andreas Fault has been the origin of what 3 major
earthquakes? ____________________________________ ,
______________________ , _________________________.
Click on “Plate Interactions Challenge” to continue.
Take the challenge and record your score here:
_________ out of 10.
 When you are finished, click on “final”.
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6) Test Skills
 Enter your FULL NAME(S) and take the test. Good luck!
 When done, click on the red “See Your Results” button.
 When a new window pops up with your test, print ONLY THE FIRST
PAGE of your test. If you’re not sure how to do this, ASK FOR
HELP!
 Staple the test page to this packet and turn them in.
7) Bonus Question: What do you think was the best or most interesting part
of this activity? _____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
8) Super Bonus Question: Write your own question about something you still
want to know more about after completing this activity. ____________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Great job! Hopefully now you’ll better understand why the Earth is so
wild.
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