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6th grade The layers inside the Earth worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

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The layers inside the Earth

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use this

    Cutaway of the Earth, not to scale:

  3. Ari labels a cutaway of the Earth. Layer D is the ball at the very center. Which layer is D?

    • The mantle
    • The crust
    • The inner core
    • The outer core

  4. On the same cutaway, layer B is the thick layer just under the thin outer shell. Which layer does Bo write for B?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • The outer core
    • The mantle
    • A sea of liquid lava
    • The inner core

  5. A column of four blank boxes labeled first (surface) to fourth (center). Jun lists Earth's layers from the surface inward. Which layer comes second?

    • The mantle
    • The crust
    • The outer core
    • The inner core

  6. “Poster outline:” Luz is making a poster of Earth's layers. Which list goes from the outside in?

    • Crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
    • Crust, outer core, mantle, inner core
    • Inner core, outer core, mantle, crust
    • Mantle, crust, inner core, outer core

  7. Cutaway, not to scale, with an arrow from the surface down to the center labeled "trip down". Milo imagines a trip from the crust down toward the center (with a very good snack bag). What happens to the temperature on the way?

    • It falls, then rises
    • It keeps falling
    • It keeps rising
    • It stays the same

  8. Cutaway, not to scale, with the four layers labeled crust, mantle, outer core and inner core. Noah reads that one layer of the Earth is liquid metal. Which layer is it?

    • The crust
    • The inner core
    • The outer core
    • The mantle

  9. “Cutaway, not to scale:” Lava pours out of volcanoes. Does that mean the whole mantle is liquid, as Ren wonders?

    • Yes; the crust floats on liquid lava
    • No; the mantle is mostly solid, with small magma pockets
    • No; the mantle is liquid metal
    • Yes; the mantle is a sea of lava

  10. Table (USGS, rounded), Layer thickness (USGS), with columns Layer and Thickness

    Crust about 5 km under oceans and about 30 km under continents; mantle about 2,900 km; outer core about 2,200 km; inner core about 1,250 km.

  11. Tala reads the USGS thickness table. Which layer is the thickest?

    • The mantle, about 2,900 km
    • The outer core, about 2,200 km
    • The inner core, at the center
    • The crust, since we stand on it

  12. Using the USGS thickness table, Zee looks for the thinnest layer. Which is it?

    • The mantle, since the crust is thicker
    • The outer core
    • The inner core, since it is in the middle
    • The crust

  13. About how thick is the liquid outer core, according to the USGS table Esme is reading?

    • About 2,900 km
    • About 30 km
    • About 1,250 km
    • About 2,200 km
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6th grade The layers inside the Earth worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

The layers inside the Earth. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can name Earth's layers in order (crust, mantle, outer core, inner core) and say which are solid or liquid.
  • I can read and compare layer thicknesses (USGS) and explain that temperature, pressure and density rise with depth.
  • I can explain how scientists know what is inside: earthquake waves, not drilling.

Standard: MS-ESS2-3 (supporting)

Words to know

crust: The thin, solid outer layer we live on

mantle: The thick layer of hot rock below the crust; mostly solid, flows very slowly

outer core: A layer of liquid iron and nickel

inner core: A solid ball of iron and nickel at the center

lithosphere: The rigid crust plus the top of the mantle, broken into plates

density: How much matter is packed into a space

Common mistakes

Your child mixed up the order of Earth's layers. From the outside in: crust, mantle, outer core, inner core. Peel an apple or cut a peach in half and name the layers together.

Your child mixed up which core is liquid. The outer core is liquid metal; the inner core is solid, because the pressure there is enormous.

Your child pictured the mantle as an ocean of lava. It is hot rock that is mostly solid and flows very slowly; melted rock forms only in some places.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with the layers inside the earth?

Your child mixed up the order of Earth's layers. From the outside in: crust, mantle, outer core, inner core. Peel an apple or cut a peach in half and name the layers together.

Are these 6th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 6 science

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