This week, in Science, we’ve been investigating Planet Earth.  We’ve gone deep into our Earth and identified its 4 main layers: The Core, the Inner Mantle, the Outer Mantle and the Crust and learned all about them – not a place you want to be!

We also made models of our Earth using Plasticine.  We created each layer using a different colour of Plasticine and then cut through it to show the different layers. 

Following on from this, we began to look at the Earth’s Tectonic Plates and the effect it has on people around the world. We’ve found out that the Earth’s crust and upper part of the mantle (lithosphere) are broken into large pieces called tectonic plates.  These plates also ‘float’ on magma and are constantly moving a few centimetres each year.  Over millions of years, this small movement allows whole continents to shift thousands of kilometres apart.

We also found out that where these tectonic plates meet, the Earth’s crust becomes very unstable as the plates push against each other, or ride under or over each other. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen at the boundaries between these plates and the crust may ‘crumple’ to form mountain ranges.

In class we tried to replicate this using water (magma) and polystyrene cups ripped up to represent the tectonic plates.  We moved the tray back and forth to show the activity within the Earth and then watched as the polystyrene (tectonic plates) moved away from each other.  After a few minutes, we noticed some of the polystyrene coming back together.  We were watching new ‘continents’ being formed!  

Some of the polystyrene had curved edges and others had flatter edges and didn’t really join together.  Instead a ridge was formed and we were able to identify and say, in real life terms, this is how mountain ranges are formed.

Here’s a clip of what we were doing.