earth science
Earth’s Composition
The Lesson Activities will help you meet these educational goals:
Science Inquiry—You will view graphic information, draw conclusions, and communicate your conclusions in written form.
STEM—You will use scientific tools and knowledge to analyze real-world situations and gain insight into careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
21st Century Skills—You will employ online tools for research, communicate effectively, and assess and validate information.
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Directions
Write a response for each of the following activities. When you have finished, submit your work to your teacher. Check the rubric at the end of this document to make sure your work is meeting the expected criteria.
1. Earth’s Composition A
Although geologists are unable to see the exact composition and position of all the earth’s layers, they have used various tools to determine what lies beneath the crust. Use the Internet or textbooks to research geologists’ findings. The diagram below shows a cutaway view of the earth (not to scale). Identify each layer and describe its general characteristics.
Type your response here:
a. Continential Crust: the relatively thick part of the earth's crust that forms the large landmasses. It is generally older and more complex than the oceanic crust.
b. Oceanic Crust: the relatively thin part of the earth's crust that underlies the ocean basins. It is geologically young compared with the continental crust and consists of basaltic rock overlain by sediments.
c. Litosphere: the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
d. Asthenosphere: the upper layer of the earth's mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively low resistance to plastic flow and convection is thought to occur.
e. Mantle: between the crust and core
f. Outer Core: Earth's outer
The Lesson Activities will help you meet these educational goals:
Science Inquiry—You will view graphic information, draw conclusions, and communicate your conclusions in written form.
STEM—You will use scientific tools and knowledge to analyze real-world situations and gain insight into careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
21st Century Skills—You will employ online tools for research, communicate effectively, and assess and validate information.
________________________________________________________________________________
Directions
Write a response for each of the following activities. When you have finished, submit your work to your teacher. Check the rubric at the end of this document to make sure your work is meeting the expected criteria.
1. Earth’s Composition A
Although geologists are unable to see the exact composition and position of all the earth’s layers, they have used various tools to determine what lies beneath the crust. Use the Internet or textbooks to research geologists’ findings. The diagram below shows a cutaway view of the earth (not to scale). Identify each layer and describe its general characteristics.
Type your response here:
a. Continential Crust: the relatively thick part of the earth's crust that forms the large landmasses. It is generally older and more complex than the oceanic crust.
b. Oceanic Crust: the relatively thin part of the earth's crust that underlies the ocean basins. It is geologically young compared with the continental crust and consists of basaltic rock overlain by sediments.
c. Litosphere: the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
d. Asthenosphere: the upper layer of the earth's mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively low resistance to plastic flow and convection is thought to occur.
e. Mantle: between the crust and core
f. Outer Core: Earth's outer