E SCIENCE

ACTIVITY PACK

Deanne Mendoza
X Silver

The Earths Interior

1. Seismic
Waves
and
The
composition the Earth
Surface Waves
P and S Waves or Body
Waves
2. Continental Drift Theory
(Earths Mechanism)
Evidences of continental
drift theory
Seafloor Spreading
3. Plate Tectonic theory
Convection Current

Seismic Waves
2

Earthquakes generate three types of

seismic waves: P (primary) waves, S
(secondary) waves and surface waves,
which arrive at seismic recording stations
one after another. Both P and S waves
penetrate the interior
of
the
Earth
while
surface
waves do not.
Due
to
this, P and
S waves
are known as
"body
waves".
Surface
waves arrive
last and
are the least interesting to seismic
topographers
because
they
don't
penetrate deep inside the Earth, therefore
providing
little
information
about
inaccessible terrain.

Below are some of the major differences

between P and S waves.

P WAVES

S WAVES

compressional
Waves
longitudinal
waves
1st to arrive at
seismic stations

shear waves

travel at 1.5-8
km/sec in the
Earth's crust

shake
the
ground in the
direction they
are propagating

2nd to arrive at
seismic stations
1.7
times
slower than P
waves
shake
the
ground
perpendicular
to the direction
in which they
are propagating
do not travel
through liquid
(i.e.
water,
molten
rock,
the
Earth's
outer core)

travel through
the Earth's core

Decades ago, seismologists noticed that

records from an earthquake changed once
the event was a certain distance away,
approximately 105o in terms of the angle
between the quake and the seismograph
at the center of the Earth. After such a
distance,
waves
disappeared
almost
completely
until the
slow surface
waves
arrived. The
area
beyond 105o
forms
what is called
a
SHADOW ZONE. At greater distances some
P waves would arrive but no S waves.
From this, researchers determined the
Earth's outer core is fluid and molten. This
explains the lack of S waves in the shadow
zone and the bending of P waves to form
their own shadow zone.

The Composition of the Earths

Interior
The planet Earth is made up of three main
shells: the very thin, brittle crust, the
mantle, and the core; the mantle and core
are each divided into two parts.
Earth's Crust
There are two
different
types of crust:
thin
oceanic
crust
that
underlies
the
ocean
basins
and
thicker
continental
crust
that
underlies the continents. These two
different types of crust are made up of
different types of rock. The thin oceanic
crust is composed of primarily of basalt
and the thicker continental crust is
composed primarily of granite. The low
density of the thick continental crust

allows it to "float" in high relief on the

much higher density mantle below.
Earth's Mantle

Earth's mantle is thought to be composed

mainly of olivine-rich rock. It has different
temperatures at different depths. The
temperature
is
lowest
immediately
beneath the crust and increases with
depth. The highest temperatures occur
where the mantle material is in contact
with the heat-producing core. This steady
increase of temperature with depth is
known as the geothermal gradient. The
geothermal gradient is responsible for
different rock behaviors and the different
rock behaviors are used to divide the
mantle into two different zones. Rocks in
the upper mantle are cool and brittle,
while rocks in the lower mantle are hot
and soft (but not molten). Rocks in the
upper mantle are brittle enough to break
under stress and produce earthquakes.
7

However, rocks in the lower mantle are

soft and flow when subjected to forces
instead of breaking. The lower limit of
brittle behavior is the boundary between
the upper and lower mantle. Earth's Core
Earth's Core is thought to be composed
mainly of an iron and nickel alloy. This
composition is assumed based upon
calculations of its density and upon the
fact that many meteorites (which are
thought to be portions of the interior of a
planetary body) are iron-nickel alloys. The
core is earth's source of internal heat
because it contains radioactive materials
which release heat as they break down
into more stable substances. The core is
divided into two different zones. The outer
core is a liquid because the temperatures
there are adequate to melt the iron-nickel
alloy. However, the inner core is a solid
even though its temperature is higher
than the outer core. Here, tremendous
pressure, produced by the weight of the
8

overlying rocks is strong enough to crowd

the atoms tightly together and prevents
the liquid state.
Some

facts

about the
CRUST:

tw
o

types:
oceanic
and
continental
calcium (Ca) and sodium
(Na) aluminum-silicates
rocky and brittle
fractures
during
earthquakes
.473% of Earth's mass
depth of 0-50 kilometers (031 miles)
O0 C
9

Some facts about the MANTLE:

iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), aluminum

(Al), silicon (Si) and oxygen (O)
silicate compounds
Solid but can slowly deform in a
plastic manner
67.3% of Earth's mass
Depth of 10-2890 kilometers (6-1806
miles)
+10000 C
Convection in this region drives plate
tectonics

Some facts about the OUTER CORE:

iron and 10% Sulphur (S) and/or
oxygen
molten
30.8% of Earth's mass
depth of 2890-5150 kilometers (18063219 miles)
10

 37000 C
convection motion within this region,
along with the rotation of the Earth
creates an effect that maintains the
Earth's magnetic field
Some facts about the INNER CORE:

Iron
Solid and unattached to the mantle
Suspended in molten outer core
1.7% of the Earth's mass
Depth of 5150-6370 kilometers
(3219-3981 miles)

ACTIVITY 1: TESTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Direction:
A. Choose
answer

the

letter

11

of

the

correct

1. What allows the thick continental

crust to float in relief above the
mantle?
a. High buoyancy
b. High density
c. Low density
d. Low buoyancy
2. Because of shadow zones where at
greater distances P-waves would
arrive but no S-waves, what did
researchers determine regarding the
earths outer core?
a. That the outer core is solid
b. That the outer core is liquid
c. That the outer core is where the
magnetic field is.
d. That the outer core is both solid
and liquid at the same time.
3. What are the two types of crust?
a. Basaltic and granitic
b. Oceanic and continental
c. Metamorphic and sedimentary
d. Detritus and detrital
4. Another term for P-waves.
a. Transverse waves
12

b. Shear waves
c. Compressional waves
d. Raleigh waves
5. The mantle mainly consists of:
a. Oxygen, silicon and aluminum
b. Iron and nickel
c. Iron,
nickel,
oxygen
and
magnesium
d. Iron, magnesium, oxygen and
silicon

B. COMPLETE THE TABLE

Layer compositi
s
on
Inner
core

Dep Percenta
th
ge
515
0637
0
km

Oute
r
13

core
Mantl Iron (Fe),
e
magnesiu
m
(Mg),
silicon
(Si),
oxygen
(O)
Crust

.432%

ACTIVITY 2: YOUR OWN EARTH

Directions:

14

Group yourselves into 3 and make a three

dimensional structure of the earths
different layers. Label it and color it.
Ex:

ACTIVITY 3: SEISMIC AWARENESS

Directions:
Make a short comic strip promoting
awareness of seismic waves and the
outcome of different types of seismic
waves.
Ex:
15

The
Earth
s
Mechanism
The Continental Drift Theory
Continental drift was a theory that
explained how continents shift position on
Earth's surface. Set forth in 1912 by Alfred
Wegener,
a
geophysicist
and
meteorologist,
continental
drift
also
explained why look-alike animal and plant
fossils, and similar rock formations, are
found on different continents.
Wegener thought all the continents were
once joined together in an "Urkontinent"
16

before breaking up and drifting to their

current positions. But geologists soundly
denounced Wegener's
Theory of continental drift after he
published the details in a 1915 book called
"The Origin of Continents and Oceans."
Part of the opposition was because
Wegener didn't have a good model to
explain how the continents moved apart.
Wegeners evidence for continental drift
was that:
The same types of fossilized animals
and

plants

are

America and Africa.

17

found

in

South

The shape of the east coast of South

America fits the west coast of Africa,
like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.

18

 Mat
chi
ng

rock formations and mountain chains

are

found

in

north

Scandinavia.

19

America

and

 Pal
eoc
lim
a
t
e

data

and

its connection with coal deposits and

glacial scratches around the world.
20

Although Wegener's "continental drift"

theory was discarded, it did introduce the
idea of moving continents to geosciences.
And decades later, scientists would
confirm some of Wegener's ideas, such as
the past existence of a supercontinent
joining all the world's landmasses as
one . Pangaea was a supercontinent that
formed roughly 300 million years ago, and
was responsible for the fossil and rock
clues that led Wegener to his theory.
Seafloor Spreading

In the late 1960s, magnetometer data

revealed an alternating striped pattern
of seafloor rocks. Rocks that formed when
Earths magnetic field was in one position
alternated with rocks that formed when
the field was reversed. The stripes ran
parallel to the mid-ocean ridges and
21

extended out hundreds of miles on either

side of them. The seafloors permanent
magnetic signatures showed that new
ocean crust was created at the ridge
crests and then spread outward in both
directions. This
seafloor
spreading
hypothesis had been proposed a few years
earlier by Harry Hess, a petrologist at
Princeton University, and Robert Dietz, an
oceanographer in the US Coast and
Geodetic Survey (the federal department
that made maps of the oceans and US
coastlines). Hess went on to say that as
the ocean crust spreads and cools over
millions of years, it becomes denser and
eventually sinks down into oceanic
trenches, or seduction zones, a long way
from where it forms at the mid-ocean
ridge crest. As ocean crust descends
toward the hot mantle, it melts and
becomes recycled into the mantle.
Magnetic Reversals
22

The pattern of sea floor spreading can be

observed by studying the magnetic field of
the rock on the sea floor. At the mid-ocean
ridge, magma rises up from the mantle
below
and
cools. As it continues to cool, iron in the
rock aligns itself with the magnetic field of
the Earth, much like the needle in a
compass. When the rock solidifies, this
magnetic signature
is
locked
in
place. Throughout history, the orientation
of the Earths magnetic field has varied
greatly. At times, the magnetic pole in the
north has reversed completely and was
located near the south geographic pole.
Because new ocean floor is constantly
moving away from the mid-ocean ridge,
these reversals appear as bands of
alternating magnetic fields. On average,
the Earths magnetic field reverses every
several hundred thousand years with the
most recent reversal occurring about
780,000 years ago.
23

Activity 4: LETS SEARCH

Find words or names that are connected to

the previous lesson continental drift and
Seafloor spreading.
F
V
B
Q
W
S
H
A
R
R
Y

A
M
P
E
R
E
Y
V
O
L
T

T
G
A
S
U
L
D
I
O
E
R

Y
O
N
G
T
D
R
B
L
B
O

L
D
G
I
N
I
O
A
F
R
B

O
J
A
U
H
E
S
T
N
O
E

A
D
E
H
K
T
T
S
A
N
R

P
O
L
E
S
K
H
I
E
A
T

T
R
T
L
E
A
E
K
C
L
D

M
N
I
P
X
F
R
Q
O
R
I

C
E
T
M
Y
B
M
U
N
L
E

24

X
P
U
E
D
P
A
C
C
O
T

M
L
D
D
A
F
R
I
C
A
Z

H
A
E
N
I
T
R
O
G
E
N

D
T
G
A
M
A
G
N
E
X
T

R
E
S
E
R
V
O
I
R
O
C

A
B
T
U
O
R
E
N
E
G
E

A
C
I
R
E
M
A
H
T
U
O

H
N
R
G
N
I
D
A
E
R
P

C
O
N
T
I
N
E
N
T
A
L

H
E
S
S
B
J
D
F
Y

S
F
S
I
E
S
G
W
C

I
D
G
E
H
A
E
D
A

N
I
E
S
N
H
I
M
N

S
L
T
D
Y
G
G
S
O

E
A
A
V
N
A
O
U
N

R
G
L
A
M
D
E
B
H

G
B
Z
T
I
V
U
D
F

E
Z
O
D
D
I
R
U
O

N
H
I
L
L
L
O
C
S

T
E
L
B
W
P
P
T
S

V
Y
O
M
A
A
E
I
I

J
E
F
O
G
B
A
O
L

M
A
R
U
C
E
T
N
S

O
M
E
S
L
B
B
Z
M

S
A
K
X
A
E
O
O
A

W
D
E
R
F
L
A
N
N

S
L
M
I
D
G
S
E
N

S
R
O
O
L
F
A
E
S

D
R
I
F
T
I
N
K
G

Activity 5: ILLUSTRATE
Draw or illustrate how magnetic field of
rock looks like on the sea floor, and
explain briefly how it is connected to
seafloor spreading.

25

Activity 6: OUR EARTH MILLIONS OF YEARS

AGO
Directions:
1. cut the continents and label
them.
2. After your done cutting, Place
them together where you think
they fit the most to form the
super continent Pangaea.
3. Paste them on a bond paper and
answer the question:
26

In your own opinion how do you

think will the earth look like after
several billion years?

27

Plate tectonic Theory

From the deepest ocean trench to the

tallest mountain, plate tectonics explains
the features and movement of Earth's
surface in the present and the past. Plate
tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer
shell is divided into several plates that
glide over the mantle, the rocky inner
layer above the core. The plates act like a
hard and rigid shell compared to Earth's
mantle. This strong outer layer is called
the lithosphere. Developed from the 1950s
through the 1970s, plate tectonics is the
28

modern version of continental drift, a

theory first proposed by scientist Alfred
Wegener in 1912. Wegener didn't have an
explanation for how continents could
move around the planet, but researchers
do now.

29

Convection Current
Convection currents in the magma
drive plate tectonics. Large convection
currents in the asthenosphere transfer
heat to the surface, where plumes of less
dense magma break apart the plates at
the spreading centers, creating divergent
plate boundaries. As the plates move
away from the spreading centers, they
cool, and the higher density basalt rocks
that make up ocean crust get consumed
at the ocean trenches/subduction zones.
The crust is recycled back into the
asthenosphere. Because ocean plates are
denser than continental plates, when
these two types of plates converge, the
ocean plates are subducted beneath the
continental plates. Subduction zones and
trenches are convergent margins. The
collision of plates is often accompanied by
earthquakes and volcanoes.

30

Activity 7: MATCHING TYPE

Match column A to column B.
A
1. higher
density
basalt rocks that
make up ocean
crust
get
consumed at
2. the theory that
Earth's
outer
shell is divided
into
several

B
Plate tectonic

lithosphere

31

plates that glide

over the mantle
3. The plates act
like a hard and
rigid
shell
compared
to Earth's
mantle.
This
strong
outer
layer is called
4. Drives
plate
tectonics
5. A deep part of
the ocean

Convection current

Subduction zones
trench

Activity 8: ILLUSTRATE
Draw or illustrate how convection current
in the mantle works and explain it, 2 -3
sentences.
32

Activity 9: BROCHURE TIME!

Make a brochure that explains the plate
tectonic theory that encourages to
educate its readers more about it.
33

Key answers:
Activity 1:
A.
1. D
34

2. B
3. B
4. C
5. D

B.
Layer
s
Inner
core

composi
tion
Iron

Depth

Percentage

51506370

1.7%

35

km
Outer
core

iron and 289010%

5150
Sulphur km
(S)
and/or
oxygen

30.8%

Mantl
e

Iron (Fe),
magnesi
um (Mg),
silicon
(Si),
oxygen
(O)
Oxygen(
o),
silicon(si
)

102890
km

67.3%

0-50
km

.432%

Crust

36

Activity 4:
P
O
L
E
S

A A
M
P L A T E
C
A
G
I
G
N
R G
N
A
E N
E
P F
R MI
H
T
R
E A D
A
I
I
N H A
R OOL F NA E C O
C
E T E
R
R
A
GU R
Y
R OB E R T DI E T Z
E OP
H
I
V
WS S
E
D
H
E
D
R
S
G
O
R
E
O
S
E
T
S
R
O
M
A F
L
A
L
F
G
A
A
MS UB DUC T I ONZ ON E E
A
F OS S I L S
S

37

C
O
N
T
I
N
E
N
T
A
L
D
R
I
F
T

Activity 6:
It

should look like this

Activity 7:
a

b
1. higher
density
basalt rocks that
make up ocean
crust
get
consumed at
2. the theory that
Earth's outer shell
is divided into
several
plates
that glide over
the mantle
3. The plates act like
a hard and rigid
shell
compared

Plate tectonic

lithosphere

Convection current

38

to Earth's mantle.
This strong outer
layer is called
4. Drives
plate
tectonics
5. A deep part of the
ocean

Subduction zones
trench

References:
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys2900/homepages/M
arianne.Hogan/waves.html
http://geology.com/nsta/earth-internal-structure.shtml
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys2900/homepages/M
arianne.Hogan/inside.html
http://www.livescience.com/37529-continental-drift.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/21c_pr
e_2011/earth_and_space/continentaldriftrev2.shtml
39

http://www.divediscover.whoi.edu/historyocean/continental.html
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?
qid=20080203032612AAUyhFJ
http://www.livescience.com/37706-what-is-platetectonics.html
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/dynamic/session
1/sess1_earthcurrents.html

40