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Earth's Dynamic Structure

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Earth's Dynamic Structure

Explore how Earth’s deep interior connects to the moving plates beneath the coast. Complete each task using the information on this sheet and your science knowledge.

Inside Earth

Use your science knowledge to explain how Earth’s interior works.

1.Which layer is the thinnest, and what is it made of?

2.The inner core is extremely hot but remains solid. Choose the best explanation.

It is made of cooler rock than the mantle.
The immense pressure prevents it from melting.
It is protected from heat by the crust.
Earth’s magnetic field freezes it.

3.Name the two layers made mostly of iron and nickel. State which is liquid and which is solid.

4.Complete the explanation: Heat moving through the mantle causes slow movement in its solid but ductile rock. This movement helps drive the motion of .

5.Complete the explanation: Flowing liquid metal in the helps generate Earth’s magnetic field.

Plates on the move

Coastlines and rocks can record movement over millions of years. Use the evidence below and your science knowledge.

6.Match each plate-boundary motion on the left with its name on the right.

Move apart
Move towards one another
Slide sideways past one another

Convergent
Divergent
Transform

7.Alfred Wegener proposed continental drift in 1912. What was the name he gave to the ancient supercontinent, and what two kinds of evidence supported the idea that continents had once been joined?

8.Fossils of the freshwater reptile Mesosaurus have been found in both South America and Africa. Explain why this is evidence for continental drift.

9.Australia moves northwards by about 7 centimetres each year as its tectonic plate moves. At that rate, about how far would it move in 10 years? Show your calculation.

10.Why do Japan and Indonesia experience many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, while much of Australia experiences fewer? Explain the difference using plate boundaries.

11.A claim says, “The mantle is a huge ocean of liquid rock, and the continents float on it.” Rewrite this claim to make it scientifically more accurate. Include how mantle movement affects plates.