Tectonic Plates

Tectonic Plates

Labeling

Label the four layers of the Earth.

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Outer Core

Crust

Inner Core

Mantle

The crust around the surface of the Earth is not smooth. It is broken into lots of different sections. We call these sections plates.

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The plates range in size and each one is moving in a different direction (about 5-10cm per year).

Earth's Structure

Tectonic Plates: Tectonic plates are large, solid pieces of the Earth's crust. There are 15 plates and are 125km thick on average.

How do the plates move?

• The lower mantle is hotter than the upper mantle.

• Hot magma rises and forces cooler magma down. The cycle moves in a circle and causes the plates to move together or apart.
  
  

• Pangea was a supercontinent that existed around 300 million years ago.

• It included almost all of Earth's landmasses.

• The break-up of Pangea was caused by tectonic plate movement.

• The rest of the planet's surface was covered by a vast ocean called Panthalassa.

Pangea

Multiple Choice

All tectonic plates are moving at the same speed.

• True

• False

• I'm not sure

Multiple Choice

Which is true about tectonic plates?

• They only exist under the ocean

• They are always the same size and shape

• They can move apart, collide, or slide past each other

• They move so fast we can feel them daily

Dropdown

Pangea existed around ​

Select answer

million years ago.

Fill in the Blanks

What layer of the Earth is responsible for the movement of tectonic plates?

Multiple Choice

The reason plates are moving, is because _______

• Magma is semi-liquid and moves under the crust.

• The earth is spinning.

• The weather systems in the atmosphere.

• The Earth's core is spinning very fast.

Multiple Choice

Do the plates move quickly or slowly?

• Quickly

• Slowly

Tectonic Plate Puzzle

1. Cut out each piece of the puzzle

2. Arrange them and check before gluing the completed puzzle into your books

3. Remember, the Earth is a sphere, so the map is continuous and any plate could be the centre!