Making A Scale Model Of The Earth’S Interior

Making a Scale Model of the Earth’s Interior

Information gained from the study of earthquake waves that pass through the Earth’s interior has helped scientists to develop a picture of what it may be like inside the Earth. In this activity, you will make a scale model of the Earth that shows what the inside of the Earth would look like if you could cut it in half and examine the cut surface.

Step 1. Calculate the thickness of each layer of the Earth and fill in the chart using the following scale:

1mm on the model equals 70 km inside the Earth.

A. Divide each layer’s thickness by 70 to get scale model layer thickness and round to the nearest whole number.

B. Add the scale model layer thickness together to determine circle radius for each progressive layer starting with the inner core.

Layer of the Earth Layer Thickness Model Layer Circle Radius (mm) Thickness (mm) CRUST 32 km MANTLE 2,900 km OUTER CORE 2,250 km INNER CORE 1,300 km

Step 2. On the back of this paper, draw the scale model using a compass and ruler. Start in the center of the paper and draw circles based on the circle radius measurements from the chart.

Step 3. Label each layer’s name and thickness in kilometers.

Step 4. Answer the following questions.

1. Many of the deepest earthquakes occur at about 700 km. In which layer do these deep quakes occur?

2. Which is the thickest layer of the Earth?

3. Which is the thinnest layer of the Earth?

4. If you were to use an apple as a scale model of the Earth, which layer would best be represented by the peel?

5. Which Earth layer would be represented by the seeds?