LEARNING A C T I V I T Y S H E E T No.

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I. I. BASIC INFORMATION:

Name: _______________________________________________ Grade/Score: __________

Year and Section: ____________________________________ Date: _________________
Science discipline (Check or choose from below)
Living Things Earth & Space Forces and Energy Matter
Type of Activity (Check or choose from below) _____________
Concept Notes Laboratory reports Formal Theme
Exercise/Drills Illustration Informal Theme Other Skills: _____
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Activity Title: EARTH’S LITHOSPHERE
Learning Target: Describe and relate the distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake
epicenters, and major mountain belts to Plate Tectonic Theory. (S10ES – Ia-j-36.1)

References: Smart Class Science 10, Vibal Group, Inc. pg 65- 66., 2020
Smart Wizard Science 10, Vibal Group, Inc. pg. 19., 2020.
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/legacy/plate-tectonics
II. CONCEPT DIGEST:
The crust is the outer layer of the Earth. It is the solid rock layer upon which we live. It is
either continental or oceanic. Oceanic crust is more dense than continental crust and have relative
thickness of 5 to 10 km (3 – 6 miles). It is mostly made up of basalt and found on the ocean floor.
It is formed when magma seeps out of mid-ocean ridge which makes it younger than the
continental crust. On the other hand, continental crust is less dense and have a relative thickness
of 30 to 50 km (20 – 30 miles). It is mostly made up of granite and found under land masses. Both
are made up of solid material and can be found on tectonic plates.

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/legacy/plate-tectonics

In 1912, Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist, proposed a theory that about 200 million years
ago, the continents were once large landmass. He called this landmass Pangea, a Greek word which means
“All Earth”. Figure below shows the earth’s major and minor tectonic plates. The Pangea started to break
into two smaller supercontinents called Laurasia and Gondwanaland during Jurassic Period. These smaller
supercontinents broke into the continents and these continents separated and drifted apart since then.

https://www.quora.com/How-many-
plates-are-in-earth
III. EXERCISE: CRUSTY-VENN DIAGRAM
A. Use the Venn diagram to compare and contrast the continental plate and the
oceanic plate.

B. Label the black tectonic plate map below by writing the letter that corresponds to
the name of the plate.

Smart Wizard Science Grade 10 pg 19

C. Answer the following questions in two to three sentences.

1. Which is more buoyant – a continental plate or an oceanic plate? Which would
subduct if the two were to collide with each other?
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2. What do you think will happen to the world if the Pangea had never broken up
into smaller pieces?
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