Structure of the Earth System
Station 6 – Boundaries within the Earth
Activity 1 Define these vocabulary words on your vocabulary sheet for this station: extrusion,
intrusion, fault, soil conservation, convergent boundary, divergent boundary, transform
boundary, landforms
Activity 2
Go to https://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/plate.html Draw a diagram that
illustrates the movement that occurs at convergent, divergent and transform boundaries. Also,
list landforms that are associated with each boundary – you will need to find another site to
answer this question. As a group, develop a way to help you remember the movement and
landform created at each boundary. This can be a jingle, dance, saying, etc. Record a video clip
of your creation and be prepared to share this with the class!
Activity 3
1. Look at the paper plate and imagine that it represents the earth. As you read the
following statements, use the scissors to cut away the parts of the Earth’s surface
that have unusable soil.
a. Cut away ¾ of the paper plate. This represents the fact that 75% of the Earth is
water.
b. Of the ¼ remaining, half is composed of deserts, mountains, bogs, cities and
other areas that do not have usable soil. Cut away ½ of the slice that remains.
c. Of the small slice you have left, 75% has temperatures and weather conditions
that prevent it from being used for cultivation. Cut away ¾ of the remaining
plate.
d. The slice that you have remaining represents 1/32 of the Earth’s surface.
Answer the following questions:
1. Explain your thoughts about this activity. What did you learn?
2. What are some ways humans use soil?
3. What are some ways humans abuse soil?