Earth Processes Notes
The Layers of the Earth
Vocabulary
Crust, upper mantle, lower mantle, outer core, inner core, density, lithosphere, convection,
tectonic plates
The goal today is for you to gain a deeper understanding of the structure of the Earth.
Step #1:Search for an image of the interior of theEarth (find one that has the layers and their
names). Copy and paste it below:
Step #2: Go tohttps://www.cpalms.org/PreviewResourceStudentTutorial/Preview/188036
This is a pretty good tutorial about the structure of the Earth.Go through the tutorial and take
notes about each of the different layers. Record your notes in the table below. At the end of the
tutorial, you will get a Certificate of Completion. Paste a screenshot of your certificate below
the table.
NOTE: Either wear headphones or have the volume down low.
Layer Notes
(composition, density, properties, etc.)
Crust Made of tectonic plates
Upper Mantle Below moho discontinuity
Lower Mantle Hotter and more dense than upper mantle
Outer Core 500-6000 degrees C
4
Malleable like putty
Core Around 6000 degrees C, extreme pressure
Certificate of Completion Screenshot:
Questions:
1. What is the lithosphere and where is it located?
2. What are the two kinds of crust and how are they different from each other?
Oceanic and continental.
3. What is density?
How much mass is compressed into a small space, (caused by pressure)
4. Why do the plates move?
convection currents
5. What are convection currents and wear do they occur in the Earth?
Caused by differential heating found in the mantle.
Earthquakes
Vocabulary
Earthquake. fault, hypocenter, epicenter, primary wave (P wave), secondary wave (S wave),
surface waves, aftershock, seismic waves, seismogram, richter scale, magnitude
USGS Site: The Science of Earthquakes
https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/science-earthquakes
BGS Site: Earthquakes (NOTE: Watch the Anatomy of an Earthquake Video)
https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/earth-hazards/earthquakes/
1. Define each of the terms in the table below (add as much detail as possible):
Term efinition/Information
D
(the more details, the better)
Earthquake An earthquake is what happens when two
b locks of the earth suddenly slip past one
another.
Fault he surface where two blocks slip is
T
called the fault or fault plane.
Hypocenter here the earthquake starts is called the
w
hypocenter
Epicenter the location directly above a earthquake
on the surface of the earth is called the
epicenter.
Primary (P) Wave he P waves travel faster and shake the
T
ground where you are first
If you are close to the earthquake, the P
and S wave will come one right after the
other, but if you are far away, there will be
more time between the two.
Secondary (S) Wave hen the S waves follow and shake the
T
ground also.
If you are close to the earthquake, the P
and S wave will come one right after the
other, but if you are far away, there will be
more time between the two.
Surface Wave The waves that radiate from the rupture
Aftershock ainshocks always have aftershocks that
M
follow. These are smaller earthquakes that
o ccur afterwards in the same place as the
mainshock. Depending on the size of the
mainshock, aftershocks can continue for
weeks, months, and even years after the
mainshock!
Seismic Waves hen the force of the moving blocks
W
finally overcomes the friction of the
jagged edges of the fault and it unsticks,
all that stored up energy is released. The
energy radiates outward from the fault in
all directions in the form of seismic waves
like ripples on a pond. The seismic waves
shake the earth as they move through it,
and when the waves reach the earth’s
surface, they shake the ground and
anything on it, like our houses and us!
Seismogram arthquakes are recorded by instruments
E
called seismographs. The recording they
make is called a seismogram.
Richter Scale Scale for the magnitude of the earthquake
Magnitude Size, and severity.
2. What is an earthquake?
An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one
another.
3. Where do earthquakes occur? (I want more of an Earth Layer answer instead of an actual
location on Earth)
crust/ upper mantle
4. Why do earthquakes happen?
An earthquake happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another.
5. How are Primary (P) waves different from Secondary (S) waves?
The P waves travel faster and shake the ground where you are first
If you are close to the earthquake, the P and S wave will come one right after the other,
but if you are far away, there will be more time between the two.
6. Describe the sequence of events for an earthquake.
the large event the mainshock, and the events that follow are called aftershocks.
Occasionally, the mainshock is preceded by an event or events that we call a foreshock
7. Using the Richter Scale, what is the difference between an earthquake with a magnitude
of 5 and one with a magnitude of 6?
a level 6 earthquake is 10 times greater than in a level 5
8. What type of plate boundary has the most earthquakes?
convergent boundaries
9. What type of plate boundary is the San Andreas Fault?
transform plate boundary
10.Do a search for a large magnitude earthquake that actually happened (either historical or
current). Give me the details of the quake (location, magnitude, damage total, etc.) below
AND attach some pictures showing some of the destruction.
May 22, 1960 near Valdivia
magnitude of 9.5
