OUR

RESTLESS
PLANET

CHAPTER 5
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH – What do we know about it
✔ The Earth was born about 45000 million years ago.
✔ The exterior layer, called CRUST, is formed of solid rocks and made of Metals and Non-metals.
✔ Under the crust, there is the MANTLE. The mantle is divided into Upper Mantle and Lower Mantle. made
of molten rocks and can flow.
✔ In the centre there is the CORE, which is split into the OUTER CORE and the INNER CORE.
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH – What do we know about it

CRUST – is made of solid rocks and in its chemical composition there are Metals and Non-metals.

✔ The element that exists in higher amounts is OXYGEN.

✔ The second one is SILICON.
✔ And the third is ALUMINIUM.
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH – What do we know about it
CRUST– Depending on the crust location and composition, it has different names:

Continental Crust – The crust that forms the land, and is mainly made of granite. This layer is
lighter because it is made of granite, which is a lighter rock.
CRUST
Oceanic Crust – The crust under the ocean is mainly made of basalt. This is a heavier layer
because it is made of basalt, which is a heavier rock.
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH – What do we know about it
MANTLE – Is the layer under the crust. It is also made of solid rocks, but the rocks closer to the surface of the
Earth are hard and rigid (Upper Mantle), while the mantle closer to the centre of the Earth (Lower Mantle) is
made of molten rocks (not rigid), so it can flow.

Upper Mantle– Mantle made of rigid, hard rocks.

MANTLE
Lower Mantle– Mantle made of molten rocks, that can flow.
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH – What do we know about it
CORE – is the centre of the Earth, it is made of nickel and iron (both are metals).

OUTER CORE – it is the outermost part of the core, and it is molten (iron and nickel).
CORE
INNER CORE - it is the most internal part of the core, and because of the high pressure, it
is solid (made of iron and nickel).
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH – What do we know about it
Lithosphere – consists of the crust and upper solid mantle.
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH – What do we know about it
 STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
How to explain the Continents drifted?
Ocean plates – tectonic plates which are under oceans
✔ The Earth’s crust is made of tectonic plates:
Continental plates – Tectonic plates situated on the soil and
form the Continents (it can have oceans, too).

Tectonic plates are big blocks of lithosphere (crust and upper solid mantle), and it is how the lithosphere
is divided.

✔ The tectonic plates move slowly on top of the mantle,

which is made of molten rocks that can flow.
✔ Since the plates are on top of something that can move,
this causes the movement of the plates.
✔ Where the plates meet is called Boundaries, and is where
a lot of geological changes take place!

Earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis occur along the BOUNDARIES (when two plates scrape past each
other, or when they push into each other, or when they pull apart.
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH

In which tectonic plate do we live?

[Link]
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
In which tectonic plate is the Ring of Fire?

The Ring of Fire is a string of volcanoes and earthquake sites around the edges of the Pacific Plate.
Around 90% of all earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, and 75% of all active volcanoes on Earth are located
there.
 CHANGES IN THE EARTH
Geological change
✔ Plate boundaries – also called margins are the places where the
tectonic plates meet. It is like the fence that separates the houses!
✔ The geological changes happen at these plate boundaries.
✔ This happens because the plates are always moving.
CHANGES IN THE EARTH
Movement of plates
Tectonic plates can move in 3 different ways:

Plates sliding past – is when two plates slide past each other. It is a
lateral sliding. The margin is called a Conservative Plate Boundary
because no lithosphere is being created or destroyed!

Plates moving apart – 2 plates drift apart and away from each other.
When this happens, the plates break and the magma can erupt as lava.
This lava will cool down, forming new crust with new rocks. The margin
where this happens is called a Constructive or Divergent Plate
Boundary because new lithosphere is being formed.

Plates pushing each other – the heavier plate sinks underneath the other
plate, forming a trench. The rocks that move underneath will melt and
become mantle. This is called Subduction. The margin where this
happens is called a Destructive or Convergent Plate Boundary because
the lithosphere is being destroyed.
CHANGES IN THE EARTH
Movement of plates - Plates pushing each other (Destructive or Convergent Plate Boundary):

It is when one plate slides underneath the other plate. The part of the plate that moves underneath will melt
and become mantle. So, the lithosphere is destroyed (destructive plate boundary).
This can happen between 2 ocean plates, 1 continental plate and
1 ocean plate, or 2 continental plates.

This kind of movement can provoke the formation of earthquakes, volcanoes and mountains.
CHANGES IN THE EARTH
Movement of plates – Plates moving apart (Divergent or Constructive Plate Boundary):
It is when 2 plates drift apart and away from each other. When this happens, the plates break and the magma
can erupt as lava. This lava will cool down forming new crust with new rocks. There is formation of new
Lithosphere (constructive plate boundary).

This kind of movement can provoke volcanoes and also earthquakes. If this happens underwater (in the
Ocean), a ridge is formed and can form a mountain range under the water.
CHANGES IN THE EARTH
Movement of plates - Plates sliding past (Conservative or Transform Plate Boundary) :
It is when 2 plates slide past each other, side to side. It is a lateral sliding. In this case there is no destruction
or formation of lithosphere (conservative plate boundary).

This kind of movement provokes strong earthquakes.

CHANGES IN THE EARTH
Fold mountains
When two plates push each other, one continental plate slides underneath the other, causing huge
compression between them. Therefore, the rocks are folded upwards, and new mountains are formed! We
call these mountains FOLD MOUNTAINS! Example: The Himalayas and Andes.

The Himalayas are fold mountains.

CHANGES IN THE EARTH
Volcanoes
When the two plates drift apart, away from each other, volcanoes can happen, and the magma from the
mantle can erupt as lava. As lava and ashes cool down, new rocks are formed. That’s why every time a
volcano erupts gets bigger and bigger.

The melted rock inside the surface is called magma and is full of gases. When the magma is expelled
through the volcanoes, it is called lava and does not have many gases in its composition!
CHANGES IN THE EARTH
Volcano Structure:

The liquid rock inside the volcano is called _____________.

The liquid rock when is on the surface (outside of the volcano) is called ______________.
 CHANGES IN THE EARTH
What damage can eruptions of volcanoes do?
✔ Fragments on fire can fall, burn, and kill.
✔ The ashes can form a layer which blocks the Sun and makes the
temperature drop.
✔ Lava flowing will destroy crops, houses, villages, and kill.
✔ Toxic gases can suffocate us and form acid rain.
 CHANGES IN THE EARTH
Benefit from volcanoes
✔ Fertile soils: Volcanoes can significantly increase soil fertility, making the land more suitable for
agriculture and supporting a wider range of plant life.
✔ Tourism and economy: Volcanoes offer numerous benefits to tourism, including dramatic
landscapes, hot springs and geysers. They attract tourists worldwide, supporting jobs in various
sectors like hotels, restaurants, and tour guides.
 CHANGES IN THE EARTH
Earthquakes
✔ One of the events that can happen when the tectonic plates move is an earthquake!
✔ The rocks of the plates store energy, and when the plates are pushing each other or sliding past each other,
there is too much pressure and energy that must be released.
✔ That energy is released as waves – Seismic Waves – which propagate in all directions through land or
water, and that makes the Earth shake – The Earthquake!

Epicentre is the point above the Focus located on

the Earth’s surface.

Focus is the point where the waves start.

Aftershocks are small earthquakes that happen after an earthquake when the rocks settle down to their new
positions.
 CHANGES IN THE EARTH THE RICHTER
SCALE
Earthquakes
✔ Earthquakes can be soft or very violent.
✔ The magnitude of the earthquake measures its strength.
The Richter scale is used to measure the magnitude of
an Earthquake.
✔ The magnitude is higher when the size of the faults at
the plate boundaries is higher and when the plates move
more.
✔ Greater earthquakes can destroy entire communities near
the epicentre (centre of the earthquake).