What are plate tectonics and how do they

influence volcanoes and earthquakes ?

By the end of today's lesson you should be able to:

1. Describe the Structure of the Earth and name the four main layers of the Earth.

2. Explain what tectonic plates are and be confident with naming examples.

What are plate tectonics and how do they

influence volcanoes and earthquakes ?

Key Terms

Tectonic

The Earth’s Crust

Mantle

Core

• The geological study of the Earth’s structure .

• The outer layer of the Earth consisting of solidified rocky plates.

• The layer of molten rock which the crust floats on top of.

• The centre of the Earth is very hot, and made of metal.

THE EARTHS STRUCTURE

• CAN YOU THINK WHAT THIS IMAGE HAS TO DO WITH THE EARTHS STRUCTURE?

• YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO SEE IF YOU CAN COME UP WITH AN ANSWER

THE EARTHS STRUCTURE

ALTHOUGH IT MAY SOUND STRANGE A GOOD WAY AT UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH IS TO THINK OF IT AS AN EGG.

• THE THIN SHELL IS THE ‘CRUST’ • THE WHITE SOFT PART IS THE ‘MANTLE’.• THE YELLOW YOLK IS KNOWN AS THE ‘CORE

Earth’s Crust

Mantle

Outer Core

Tectonic Plates

Inner Core

Understanding Earth's "Layers"

Earth is made of several distinct layers similar to an egg:

The Crust…..• The outermost layer of our planet is the

crust, which comprises the continents and ocean basins.

The Earth's crust varies in thickness from 35 to 70 kilometres in the continents and 5 to 10 kilometres in the ocean basins.

Oceanic plates

Continental plates

And the Earth is made up of a series of these plates… Add these labels to you own maps

The Mantle…• Next comes the mantle. It is

solid and is separated into an upper and lower mantle.

• Most of Earth's internal heat is generated here to move the Earth's tectonic plates.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE MANTLE IS MADE OF? The mantle is made of a number of molten metals such as iron, magnesium, aluminium and oxygen.

The Core...• The Earth's innermost layer is the

core, which is separated into a liquid outer core and a solid inner core.

• The outer core is approximately 2,300 kms thick, while the inner core is approximately 1,200 kms. Thick.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CORE IS MADE OF? •The core is mainly made of iron

WHAT SORT OF TEMPERATURE DO YOU THINK THE CORE IS?•The core is the hottest part of the Earth approximately 4300°C.

TRUE OR FALSE?

• THE HOTTEST PART OF THE EARTH IS THE MANTLE

• TECTONIC PLATES ARE OFTEN NAMED AFTER THE CONTINENT THEY SIT ON

• THE INNER CORE IS MADE OF SOLID IRON• THE MANTLE IS ROUGHLY BETWEEN 5-

30km thick