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Science
Quarter 1 – SLeM 1:
The Solid Part of the Earth

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HOW TO USE THIS SLeM
Before you start answering the SLeM, I want you to set aside other tasks that will disturb you
while enjoying the lessons. Read carefully the instructions below to successfully enjoy the
objectives of this kit. Have fun!

1. Follow carefully all the contents and instructions indicated in every part of this SLeM.
2. Write on your notebook the concepts about the lessons. Keep in mind that Writing
develops and enhances learning,
3. Perform all the provided activities in the SLeM.
4. Let your facilitator/guardian assess your answers.
5. Analyze conceptually the posttest and apply what you have learned.
6. Enjoy studying!

Development Team of the SLeM

Writers: Doris N. Fatalla
Reviewer: Babie Noreen T. Clemente
Content Validator: Gerlie S. Holgado
Maria Fe A. Maninang
Language Editor: Edita R. Gravador
Format Editor: Maria Fe A. Maninang
Cover Page Artist: Rowena I. Alayon

PARTS OF THE SUPPLEMENTARY LEARNING MATERIAL

 Expectations - This will provide what you will be able to know after completing the
lessons in the SLeM.
 Pre-test - This will assess your prior knowledge and the concepts to be mastered
throughout the lesson.
 Looking Back - This section will measure the skills that you learned understand from
the previous lesson.
 Brief Introduction- This section will give you an overview of the lesson.
 Activities - These are activities designed to develop your critical thinking and other
competencies that you need to master. This can be done solely or with your partner
depending on the nature of the activity.
 Remember - This section summarizes the concepts and applications of the lessons.
 Checking your Understanding - This will verify how you learned from the lesson.
 Post-test - This will measure how much you have learned from the entire SLeM.

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 Lesson : The Earth’s Lithosphere

Expectations

This Supplementary Learning Material will help you to

1. describe the Earth's lithosphere.
2. differentiate oceanic and continental crust.
3. identify the major lithospheric plates.

Pre-Test

A. Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer that best completes the sentence
or answers the question.
1. Which of the following is NOT true about lithosphere?
a. Lithosphere is the water part of the earth.
b. Lithosphere comprises the crust and the mantle.
c. Lithosphere is where the earthquakes occur.
d. Lithosphere is divided into lithospheric plates.
2. Which of the following expresses the true difference between oceanic and continental
crust?
a. Oceanic crust is thicker than the continental crust.
b. Oceanic crust is older than the continental crust.
c. Oceanic crust is wider than the continental crust.
d. Oceanic crust is denser than the continental crust.
3. In which part of lithosphere do people live?
a. Upper mantle b. lower mantle c. crust d. oceanic crust
4. Which plate undergoes subduction?
a. Continental plate b. oceanic plate c. lithospheric plate d. both a and b

5. When two (2) tectonic plates collide, the oceanic crust usually subducts beneath the
continental crust because it is
a. denser than continental crust c. thicker than continental crust
b. less dense than continental crust d. thinner than continental crust

B. Choose five (5) major lithospheric plates from the given box below. Write only the
letter of your answer.

A. Nazca Plate D. Eurasian Plate G. Philippine Plate

B. Juan De Fuca Plate E. North American Plate H. African Plate
C.Pacific Plate F. Cocos Plate I. South American Plate

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LOOKING BACK

Visual Thinking Approach: Earth Spheres

Directions: Based on the given diagram, what are the different spheres that comprised the
Earth?
Identify the sphere of the earth being described in the following.
_____________ 1. Liquid part of the earth.
_____________2. Life aspects of the earth.
_____________3. Gaseous part of the earth.
_____________4. Solid part of the earth.

Brief Introduction

The earth is made up of different parts. But the focus of the discussion in this learning material
is the solid part of the earth which is the lithosphere. Lithosphere comprises the crust and the
mantle. There are two types of crust, oceanic and continental crust. To learn more about
lithosphere, do the activities that follow.

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 Activities

Activity 1.1 Close Reading about Lithosphere

Objective: Describe the earth’s lithosphere.
Material: Reading material, notebook, ballpen
Procedure:
1. Read closely the given reading material and clippings that contain information about
lithosphere. Take note of the important descriptions about lithosphere.
2. After reading, answer the questions that follow.
One of the earth’s sphere is Lithosphere. According to Wikipedia, lithosphere (Ancient
Greek: λίθος [lithos] for "rocky", and σφαίρα [sphaira] for "sphere") is the rigid, outermost shell of
a terrestrial-type planet, or natural satellite, that is defined by its rigid mechanical properties.
On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves
elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater. The outermost shell of a rocky
planet, the crust, is defined on the basis of its chemistry and mineralogy. The layer under the
lithosphere is known as the asthenosphere.
According to Merriam-Webster, lithosphere is the outer part of the solid earth composed of rock
essentially like that exposed at the surface, consisting of the crust and outermost layer of the
mantle, and usually considered to be about 60 miles (100 kilometers) in thickness.
The lithosphere is the outer solid part of the earth, including the crust and uppermost mantle.
The lithosphere is about 100 km thick, although its thickness is age dependent (older
lithosphere is thicker). Lithosphere below the crust is brittle enough at some locations to
produce earthquakes by faulting, such as within a subducted oceanic plate.

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Question: How is lithosphere being described in the given clippings and in the reading
material? Give five (5) descriptions of lithosphere.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Modify and be creative! Based on what you have learned about lithosphere, make your own
illustration that describes lithosphere.

Activity 1.2: Oceanic Crust vs Continental Plates (Strategy: Picture Analysis and Closed
Reading)
Objective: Differentiate oceanic crust from continental crust
Materials: Illustration of oceanic and continental crust
Procedure

Analyze and compare the given illustration then answer the questions that follow.

Questions
1. Which crust is thin? ________________
2. Which crust is thicker? ____________________
3. Which type of crust stays on top when they collide with each other? ____________________

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B. Read the reading material below then complete the given table.
Differences Between Oceanic and Continental Plates

Differences in Formative Process.

Oceanic plates are formed by divergent plate boundaries. These zones, located along mid-
ocean ridges, represent areas where upwelling magma creates new oceanic crust. As lava
flows from these volcanic ridges, it quickly cools, forming extrusive igneous rock. Continental
plates, meanwhile, are formed primarily by convergent plate boundaries. These zones represent
areas where oceanic plates collide with and plunge underneath continental plates – a process
called subduction. As oceanic plates subduct, they melt to form magma. This magma cools over
millions of years, producing intrusive igneous rock and new continental crust.

Differences in Composition.
Oceanic plates are mafic in nature, composed of basalt rock and its coarse-grained equivalent,
gabbro, both rich in iron, magnesium and calcium. In contrast, continental plates are felsic in
nature, dominated by granitic rock with its abundant silica, aluminum, sodium and potassium.
Metamorphic and sedimentary rocks also help build continental crust, much more varied
geologically than its oceanic counterpart.
Differences in Density.
Because of their heavy ferromagnesian elements, oceanic plates are much denser than
continental plates. The average density of ocean plates is approximately 200 pounds per cubic
foot, while continental crust ranges between about 162 and and 172 pounds per cubic foot. This
difference in relative density causes oceanic plates to subduct beneath the more buoyant
continental plates. This also allows the denser oceanic plates to sink further into the fluid
asthenosphere, causing them to lie below sea level. In contrast, the more buoyant continental
plates float higher, resulting in dry land.

Differences in Age.
Oceanic and continental plates differ radically in age because of tectonic processes. Divergent
plate boundaries continually renew oceanic plates while the subduction zones of convergent
boundaries continually recycle them. As a result, the oldest oceanic rocks are less than 200
million years old. In contrast, continental plates take a long time to form but are rarely
destroyed. Much of the continental crust exceeds 1 billion years in age, and its oldest rocks may
be as old as 4 billion years.
Differences in Range and Thickness.
Oceanic plates cover approximately 71 percent of Earth’s surface, while continental plates cover
29 percent. While oceanic plates cover far more area, they are much thinner than continental
crust. Despite their greater density, oceanic plates average only about four or five miles in
thickness, compared to an average of 25 miles for continental plates; under major mountain
belts, the continental crust can reach nearly 50 miles thick. The combination of their respective
area and average thickness means that there is actually twice as much continental rock as
oceanic rock.

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B. Direction: Complete the table by supplying the correct description for oceanic and continental
crust.

Point of Comparison Oceanic Crust Continental Crust

a.Density
b.Composition

c.Thickness
d.Age

e.Formative process

C. Show the difference between oceanic crust and continental crust in other
perspective/strategies (Venn Diagram, Concept Map and others) aside from the table
which has been used in the activity.

Activity 1.3: The Moving Lithospheric Plates

Objective: Identify the major and minor lithospheric plates.
Materials: Illustration of Lithospheric Plates
Procedure:
1. Use the given illustration to answer the activity.

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2. Identify the major and minor lithospheric plates.

Major Plates Minor Plates

1.________________________ 1.__________________________________
2.________________________ 2.__________________________________
3.________________________ 3.__________________________________
4.________________________ 4. _________________________________
5.________________________ 5. _________________________________
6. _______________________ 6. _________________________________
7. _______________________ 7. _________________________________
8. _________________________________

Remember

Lithosphere is the solid part of the earth where earthquakes occur. It is where the
people live. It has three parts, crust, mantle and core. There are two types of crust,
continental and oceanic. Lithosphere is divided into major and minor lithospheric plates.

Checking Your Understanding

Apply what you learned from this lesson by answering the following questions. Give at least two
(2) answers for each question.
1. How do you describe earth’s lithosphere?
2. How do you differentiate continental crust from oceanic?
3. What are the major plates of lithosphere?

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 Post-Test

Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. Which of the following expresses the true difference between oceanic and continental crust?
a.Oceanic crust is thicker than the continental crust.
b.Oceanic crust is older than the continental crust.
c.Oceanic crust is wider than the continental crust.
d.Oceanic crust is denser than the continental crust.
2. When two (2) tectonic plates collide, the oceanic crust usually subducts beneath the
continental crust because it is
a.denser than continental crust c. thicker than continental crust
b.less dense than continental crust d. thinner than continental crust
3. Which plate undergoes subduction?
a.Continental plate b. oceanic plate c. lithospheric plate d. both a and b
4. In which part of lithosphere do people live?
a.Upper mantle b. lower mantle c. crust d. oceanic crust
5. Which of the following is NOT true about lithosphere?
a.Lithosphere is the water part of the earth.
b.Lithosphere comprises the crust and the mantle.
c.Lithosphere is where the earthquakes occur.
d.Lithosphere is divided into lithospheric plates.
Choose five (5) major lithospheric plates from the given box below. Write only the letter
of your answer.

A. Nazca Plate D. Eurasian Plate G. Philippine Plate

B.Juan De Fuca Plate E. North American Plate H. African Plate
C.Pacific Plate F. Cocos Plate I. South American Plate
References:
https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/811562795322659608/
https://www.ibgeographypods.org/uploads/7/6/2/2/7622863/mechanisms_of_plate_movement_i
b_dp_geography.pdf
https://www.google.com/search?q=activity+about+identify+lithospheric+plates&source=lnms&tb
m=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjT99Tb3OfpAhXIBogKHUXBBugQ_AUoAXoECA0QAw&biw=136
6&bih=657#imgrc=YkWixG9nvj0Q2M
https://www.slideshare.net/VictorOribe/the-lithosphere-16339734
http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/book/export/html/1082
https://slideplayer.com/slide/8007029/
https://www.google.com/search?q=continental+and+oceanic+plates&source=lnms&tbm=isch&s
a=X&ved=2ahUKEwiitufz8ufpAhVZVN4KHSojCuEQ_AUoAXoECBEQAw&biw=1041&bih=640#i
mgrc=8SqfnTqj8xqmDM
https://www.slideshare.net/StefanJadeNavarro/four-spheres
https://sciencing.com/difference-between-continental-oceanic-plates-8527794.html
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/glossary/?term=lithosphere
https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-tectonic-plates-unlabeled-world-map-fault-lines-
major-minor-image79633136

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