Learning Objectives:

■ To understand that global processes are changing the surface of the planet

MODULE 1
Week 1

How old is
Earth?
LESSON 1
 Geological time scale

▪ The dating of fossils is included in the geological

time scale.
▪ This scale represents the time that the earth has
existed, divided into two EONS

▪ EONS are then divided into four ERAS based on

common events in that PERIOD then time is
broken into even smaller chunks called EPOCH
that is:

4, 540,000,000 years

Today we are in the :

Phanerozoic Eon
Cenozoic Era
Quaternary Period
Holocene Epoch
Activity
■ Form 2 teams to construct a geological time-line.
■ You will need to allocate tasks to team members to research the
geological history of the earth.
■ Label your time periods and describe the defining characteristics (or
events) of that time.
■ Divide your team up and allocate research roles based on the following:
-calculation of time scale (worksheet)
LESSON 2
● Researchers:
– Precambrian
– Phanerozoic
– Proterozoic
– Mesozoic
– Cenozoic

What do earthquakes, volcanoes Continental drift theory

and tidal waves have in common?

■ What do I think?
■ What do my friends think?
Watch Video
http://education.abc.net.au/home#!/media/30537/earthquakes-and-volcanoes

NOW, what do I know?

 Wegener’s evidence of moving continents:

Evidence…..

■ Similar rocks found in Australia, Antarctica and southern Africa

■ Fossils of an ancient plant called Glossopteris widespread across 5

continents and absent from Europe, Asia and North America

■ Fossils of Mesosaurus, a crocodile-like reptile, are found in southern Africa

and in South America

Tectonic plates

■ The Earth’s crust is divided into 12 major

plates – made up oceanic crust or

LESSON 3
continental crust, or both. They are
moved in various directions.
■ This plate motion is caused by a variety of
forces that push and pull, causing them to
collide, pull apart, or scrape against each
other.
■ The word, tectonic, refers to the
deformities in the crust as a consequence
of plate interactions.
 LAYERS
OF THE
EARTH

Activity Layers of the

Earth
Lithosphere:
Rigid, solid rock and runs to
■ Find a diagram to draw into your books, include all the about 100 kilometres below the
layers of the earth, including at least one characteristic planet's surface.
for each (e.g temperature, solid or liquid):
Asthenosphere:
– Oceanic crust Hot, rocks are flexible and
ductile than those above it.
– Continental crust
– Mantle The lithosphere is divided
into roughly two dozen major
– Outer core and minor plates, and these
plates move very slowly over
– Inner core the almost fluid-like
asthenosphere.
Fun Facts:
How far into the earth have humans been?
THERE ARE
TWO TYPES
http://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/story/20150306-journey-to-the-centre- OF CRUST:
of-earth/
OCEANIC
CRUST
AND
CONTINENTAL
CRUST.

Plate boundaries are the edges where What makes the plates move?
two plates meet The heat below the rocky and rigid crust (lithosphere) causes convection currents, causing the
asthenosphere to ‘flow’. Scientists believe that this makes the lithosphere (pates) ‘float’ and
therefore move.

There are 3 types:

■ Convergent – where plates move toward each other
■ Divergent – where plates move away from each other
■ Transform – where plates slip over each other

Volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain building, take

place at plate boundaries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0dWF_3PYh4
 Lesson 4

EARTHQUAKES
AND
VOLCANOES
Volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain
building, take place at plate boundaries

What causes earthquakes? Earthquakes

■ Earthquakes are the sudden violent shaking of the
ground caused by a build up of pressure from the
tectonic plates slowly but constantly moving.
■ Volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain building, take
place at plate boundaries
■ Sometimes, because of friction, plates try to move and
become stuck.
■ Pressure builds up because the plates are still trying to
move. When the pressure is released, it sends out huge https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/101-videos/00000144-0a2d-d3cb-a96c-7b2d6cd80000
amounts of energy causing the Earth's surface to shake
violently.
 A subduction zone is where one plate moves under another and is forced to
sink due to gravity into the mantle. This occurs at convergent boundaries.
■ The point inside the
Earth's crust where the
earthquake originates
from is known as
the focus.
■ The earthquake's energy
is released in seismic
waves and they spread
out from the focus.
■ The seismic waves are
most powerful at the
epicentre.
■ The epicentre is the point
on the Earth's surface
directly above the focus.

Measuring Earthquakes The Richter

■ seismographs measure the magnitude or
how much energy an earthquake has
■ magnitude is measured on a Richter scale
from 0 to 10
■ 2 is the smallest normally felt by humans
Scale
■ each single increase of
magnitude on the richter scale
increases tenfold, that is 10
times the previous
■ Example: a magnitude of 6
causes 10 times more ground
motion than a magnitude of 5,
and 100 more than one of
magnitude 4
Activity Lesson 5

Finding the epicentre of an Students research an Revisit:

earthquake: earthquake and its effects on: Plate boundaries and explore
different types, using real world
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ka ■ human examples
4Y2q_lKplsKmVM9N_I-N7fZ6EOKBQM
■ environment
■ economy
■ politics
Present to class/daymap

Remember….. There are three types of plate Activity

boundaries

Student reading (pdf)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ka4Y2q_lKplsKmVM9N_I-N7fZ6EOKBQM
Complete information table
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ka4Y2q_lKplsKmVM9N_I-N7fZ6EOKBQM

Additional information to support activity: real world examples of different plate boundaries, may be good
discussion material and examples

https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/understanding.html#anchor19173262
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/the-dynamic-earth/plate-tectonics/
 Volcanoes LESSON

The evolution of earth atmosphere

■ Volcanoes form when molten rock or magma is forced upwards from the
asthenosphere, causing cracks in the crust.

https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/101-videos/00000144-0a2c-d3cb-a96c-7b2d221d0000

Where did the atmosphere come Atmosphere composition as we know it today……..

from?
■ The Earth’s atmosphere began forming when volcanoes released
gases just as they do now.
■ These gases were held close to the Earth’s surface by gravity.
■ Earth formed by gradual increase of layers of matter, each layer
releasing components such as water and gaseous compounds of
carbon and nitrogen.
■ On heating and venting these chemical components made their
way to the Earth’s surface
Now let us compare…….
What caused these changes?

Worksheet:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VDO_yNoshHv6E5x3zBtciWPM2va8EVUnz9seO6wjLk0/edit