Plate Tectonics Explained

We all know that the Earth is huge, but what is it made of? Join Jessi and Squeaks for a fun activity to learn about Earth's layers, and to make your own model of Earth!

This video uses a cake analogy to describe Earth's structure. It compares the Earth's crust to cake batter, the mantle to a mixed ingredient layer, and the core to the sweet, hot center of the cake—highlighting the different types of...

This video explores why and how Earth's tectonic plates shift. It highlights that plates float on the solid but flowable upper mantle, which acts like honey or syrup, slowly moving due to intense heat and pressure.

2 minute video giving a brief overview of plate tectonics, for middle school science

Pupil outcome: I can describe and explain the location of major earthquake zones. Key learning points: - Every 30 seconds there is an earthquake somewhere in the world - including in Britain. - Maps can be investigated to locate major...

This video introduces the concept of plate tectonics in a fun and engaging way. They explain how the Earth's crust is divided into moving pieces called tectonic plates, and how these plates create landforms and natural disasters through...

This video explores the layers of the Earth, from the crust to the inner core, comparing it to the layers of a sandwich. They discuss the composition and characteristics of each layer, highlighting the unique properties of the mantle,...

The final images of NASA's InSight lander probe.

Almost everything you could want to know about the 7th planet from the Sun, Uranus.

NASA's Dawn mission finished in 2017. What did it discover while in orbit around Ceres?

The middle portion of the Earth's interior, between the outer crust and the core.
<

br/>

A Twig Science
Glossary Film.
Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning images and concise textual...

The layer of the atmosphere above the stratosphere but below the thermosphere, from 50 to 85km altitude.
<

br/>

A Twig Science
Glossary Film.
Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning images and...

The surface layer of a rocky planet or other astronomical body, usually chemically distinct from the mantle beneath it.
<

br/>

A Twig Science
Glossary Film.
Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using...

The process that takes place when two tectonic plates collide together, and one is pushed under another.
<

br/>

A Twig Science
Glossary Film.
Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning images and...

A fixed place within the mantle or oceanic lithosphere where rocks melt to generate magma.
<

br/>

A Twig Science
Glossary Film.
Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning images and concise textual...

The upper layers of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle, as opposed to the more fluid lower mantle and core.
<

br/>

A Twig Science
Glossary Film.
Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using...

The uppermost layer of the Earth that forms the continents and coastal sea floor, sitting on top of a layer of denser rock called the mantle.
<

br/>

A Twig Science
Glossary Film.
Key scientific terms defined in just 60...

The land surface of the Earth accounts for 1% of its total volume. Travel from the core to Earth's surface, examining the layers that make up our planet. Earth Science - Geology - Learning Points. The Earth is made up of four layers. The...

What is it? ... It's lava!
<

br/>

Physical processes -The Earth and beyond - The
E

arth's layers


A Twig Tidbit Film - Big Reveal. The image zooms out from an extreme close-up to full frame. The children...

Let's take a journey inside the Earth and explore the different layers – crust, mantle, outer core and inner core.
<

br/>

Our universe - Planet Earth - What's ins
i

de the Earth? />

Learning Points
...

Find out how diamonds are formed within igneous rock.
<

br/>

Material processes - Classifying mat
e

rials - Rocks />

Learning Points
Diamonds are form
e

d under extreme heat and pressure.
...

Four of Earth's parts are shown on screen, but which is the odd one out?
<

br/>

Physical processes - The Earth and beyond - The
E

arth's layers


A Twig Tidbit Film - Odd one out. The children have to work...

Discover how the Galapagos Islands were formed from volcanic eruptions.
<

br/>

Physical processes -The Earth and beyond - The
E

arth's layers />

Learning Points
Lava is molten
r

ock that is...