The Earth

Have you ever thought about the ground below your feet? What would we find if we dug thousands of kilometres into our planet?

Find out all about our Earth in the video below and then use your new knowledge to complete the tasks below.

The Structure of the Earth

Our Earth is split up into layers.

The 4 layers are: 

The outermost layer of the Earth is called the Crust. This is made of solid rock.

As you go below the Crust, you will find the Mantle. The Mantle is a solid layer or rock but it does move slowly.

In the centre of the Earth you will find the Core. The core of the Earth is split into two layers; the Outer Core and the Inner Core. The Outer core is made of liquid metals called iron and nickel. The Inner Core is made of solid iron and nickel.

The surface of the Earth

The Earth’s surface is split up into large pieces called tectonic plates. There are 7 major plates and 8 minor plates.

Learn more about the surface of the Earth in the video below. We are going to create tectonic puzzle. You can download and print the puzzle in ‘The Earth’ activity pack above or create your own unique world!

The Earth’s tectonic plates are moving all the time. This means we can look back into Earth’s history and see just how different the surface of the Earth will have looked billions of years ago.

Watch the 3D animation below and discover how much the Earth’s surface has changed!