Plate Tectonics, Earth's Layers & Latitude/Longitude Worksheet for 10-Year-Olds (Social Studies)

Instructions

Read each section carefully and answer all the questions. This worksheet will test your knowledge of our amazing planet, from its deep inner layers to the lines we use to map its surface. When you are finished, check your answers with the answer key at the very end.

Part 1: Layers of the Earth

Match the layer of the Earth on the left with its correct description on the right. Write the letter of the correct description in the blank space.

1. Crust _____
2. Mantle _____
3. Outer Core _____
4. Inner Core _____

• A. A layer of hot, liquid iron and nickel that flows around the center.
• B. The super-hot, solid metal ball at the very center of the Earth.
• C. The thin, rocky outer layer that we live on, including the continents and ocean floors.
• D. The thickest layer, made of hot, semi-solid rock that flows very slowly.

Part 2: Plate Tectonics

Choose the best answer for each multiple-choice question.

1. The Earth's crust is broken into huge, slow-moving pieces called:
   • a) Land Chunks
   • b) Tectonic Plates
   • c) Puzzles


2. What is the name of the supercontinent that scientists believe existed millions of years ago?
   • a) Pangaea
   • b) Atlantica
   • c) Gondwana


3. When tectonic plates slide past each other or collide, they can cause a sudden shaking of the ground. This is called:
   • a) A volcano
   • b) A hurricane
   • c) An earthquake


4. When two tectonic plates push against each other, they can force the land to buckle and rise, creating:
   • a) Deep oceans
   • b) Tall mountains
   • c) Wide rivers

Part 3: Latitude and Longitude

Use the words from the word bank to complete the sentences below.

Word Bank: Equator, Longitude, Prime Meridian, Latitude

1. Lines of ______________ are imaginary lines that run east and west around the Earth, measuring distance north or south.


2. The imaginary line that circles the middle of the Earth at 0 degrees latitude is called the ______________.


3. Lines of ______________ are imaginary lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole, measuring distance east or west.


4. The line that runs through Greenwich, England, at 0 degrees longitude is known as the ______________.

Answer Key

Part 1: Layers of the Earth

1. Crust C
2. Mantle D
3. Outer Core A
4. Inner Core B

Part 2: Plate Tectonics

1. b) Tectonic Plates
2. a) Pangaea
3. c) An earthquake
4. b) Tall mountains

Part 3: Latitude and Longitude

1. Latitude
2. Equator
3. Longitude
4. Prime Meridian