JESEI
teacher’s notes student’s notes

Dangerous Earth: a plate tectonic story

Ideas and Evidence in Science – a comprehension activity on plate tectonics

Learning objectives:

several of the Earth’s tectonic plates move at about the same speed as fingernails grow – around 35 mm / yr

plates are made of lithosphere (crust plus the upper part of the mantle)

beneath the lithosphere is the asthenosphere, part of the upper mantle that is ductile because it contains 1-10% molten material as films

around the crystals

the Earth’s magnetic field has ‘flipped’ (the N pole becoming the S pole, and vice versa) many times over geological time

rocks magnetised in the direction of today’s magnetic field have normal magnetism, rocks magnetised when the field was the other way

round have reversed magnetism

as tectonic plates move apart, new rock is formed and this ‘locks in’ the direction of the magnetic field at the time

reading and written communication skills

Timing: 30 minutes

Pupils are to read and answer questions on the student's material text.

JESEI
teacher’s notes student’s notes

Dangerous Earth: a

plate tectonic story

Ideas and Evidence in Science – a comprehension

activity on plate tectonics

Learning objectives:

several of the Earth’s tectonic plates move at

about the same speed as fingernails grow –

around 35 mm / yr

plates are made of lithosphere (crust plus

the upper part of the mantle)

beneath the lithosphere is the

asthenosphere, part of the upper mantle that is

ductile because it contains 1-10% molten

material as films around the crystals

the Earth’s magnetic field has ‘flipped’ (the N

pole becoming the S pole, and vice versa) many

times over geological time

rocks magnetised in the direction of today’s

magnetic field have normal magnetism, rocks

magnetised when the field was the other way

round have reversed magnetism

as tectonic plates move apart, new rock is

formed and this ‘locks in’ the direction of the

magnetic field at the time

reading and written communication skills

Timing: 30 minutes

Pupils are to read and answer questions on the

student's material text.