Probing planet Earth
I can describe S waves and P waves produced by earthquakes and how they move through different parts of the Earth.
Probing planet Earth
I can describe S waves and P waves produced by earthquakes and how they move through different parts of the Earth.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Earthquakes usually occur near to the edges of tectonic plates
- P waves and S waves are produced deep underground where tectonic plates slip and cause vibrations in rock
- P waves are longitudinal waves and travel through liquid
- S waves are transverse waves and cannot travel through liquid layers inside Earth
- P waves and S waves provide evidence for the internal structure of Earth
Keywords
Earthquake - An earthquake is caused by the sudden sliding movement of tectonic plates against each other.
S wave - S waves are transverse seismic waves that travel through solids but not liquids.
P wave - P waves are longitudinal seismic waves that travel at different speeds through solids and liquids.
Transverse - A transverse wave is where the wave oscillates perpendicular to the direction of travel.
Longitudinal - A longitudinal wave is where the wave oscillates along the direction of travel with areas of compression and rarefaction.
Common misconception
Many students think the mantle is liquid or semi-liquid. Some think it contains soil or water.
The mantle is almost all solid rock. Less than 1% of it is liquid e.g. at spreading plate boundaries, subduction zones and hot-spots.
To help you plan your year 10 physics lesson on: Probing planet Earth, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 physics lesson on: Probing planet Earth, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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Explore more key stage 4 physics lessons from the Measuring waves unit, dive into the full secondary physics curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
A wave that has too high a frequency to hear.
A wave used in mobile phone communications.
A wave that we detect with our eyes.