Earth and geology activities

Our changing Earth

Move tectonic plates, inspect real earthquakes and discover how landscapes change.

1. 1

   What happens where tectonic plates meet?

   Compare plates moving apart, coming together and sliding past one another.

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2. 2

   Where do earthquakes happen?

   Explore a dated USGS earthquake sample alongside published tectonic plate boundaries.

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3. 3

   Why do volcanoes have different shapes?

   Compare real USGS photographs of a shield volcano, a stratovolcano and a cinder cone.

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4. 4

   Can one kind of rock become another?

   Choose different processes and follow possible routes between rocks, sediment and molten material.

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5. 5

   How are weathering and erosion different?

   Sort examples by whether rock changes in place or material moves to a new location.

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Clues beneath our feet

Reconstruct a changing Earth using rocks, seismic evidence and its interior.

1. 1

   How can evidence help rebuild Pangaea?

   Bring schematic continental evidence strips together and compare fossil and rock matches.

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2. 2

   How do wave arrival times locate an earthquake?

   Compare P- and S-wave delays at up to three virtual stations.

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3. 3

   How can tests distinguish minerals?

   Compare virtual hardness, streak and lustre evidence for a small candidate set.

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4. 4

   What happened first in these rock layers?

   Build an upright sequence and compare later faults and intrusions.

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5. 5

   What is inside Earth?

   Move a depth marker through a scaled mantle-and-core cutaway.

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Keep exploring

Read more in Earth Science encyclopedia articles, with reading controls on each article. For printable practice, explore Maths worksheets and answer guides.