1º ESO Unit 2.

Relief and landforms

The structure of the Earth

a. Translate

Many of the rocks which make up the Earth’s crust formed less than 100
million years ago; however the oldest known mineral grains are 4,4 billion years old.
Most of the Earth’s structure is theoretical because nobody has ever visited the
Earth’s center, we only know the first kilometres of the Earth’s surface and we
know about deeper depths by volcanic activity and analysis of seismic waves that
pass through it.

The interior of the Earth, is chemically divided into three great concentric
layers:

a. The crust. Is the most superficial layer, It is a thin layer of solid rocks. It
can be two types: the oceanic crust and the continental crust.
b. The mantle. Is the intermediate layer. The outermost part is solid and the
deepest one is formed by molten rocks
c. The core. Is the most internal layer of the Earth. One part of the core is
solid and the other part is liquid.

The Earth´s temperature increases with depth. So the temperature in the

inner core reaches about 4.500º C.

The surface on the Earth is made up of a solid part, the continents, and a liquid
part, the oceans.

 The continents are large surface land masses, surrounded by oceans and
seas. There are six continents, which are from the largest to the smallest:
Asia, America, Africa, Antarctica, Europe and Oceania . Most of the
continental surface is located in the northern hemisphere.
 The oceans are great masses of salt water. There are five oceans, which
are, from the largest to the smallest: The Pacific, The Atlantic, The
Indian, The Southern and The Arctic. Most of the marine waters are
located in the southern hemisphere.

b. Fill the gaps

 Most of the .......................................... are located in the southern hemisphere.

 The smallest continent is ................................
 ............................ is the largest ocean
 Most of the .......................................... are located in the northern hemisphere
 The most superficial layer of the Earth is ................................
 The intermediate layer of the Earth is .......................................
 The most internal layer of the Earth is ......................................

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 1º ESO Unit 2. Relief and landforms

 The smallest ocean is

 ................................. is the largest continent

c. Complete the following diagram

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 1º ESO Unit 2. Relief and landforms

PLATE TECTONICS

a. Read and Translate

How is the relief formed?. The top part of the mantle and the crust form the
litosphere, created by the plates. According to Wegener millions of years ago all of the
plates were joined together (PANGEA), which broke into big plates which were separating
(and continue to do so) until they formed the current continents.

Look at a world map; do you notice how South America

and Africa fit together? The continents look like pieces of a
giant puzzle. The plates move because they are rigid and they
are on top of semimelted materials of the mantle. This theory
is called the plate tectonics.

There are eight major plates on the surface of the

Earth. They are like the skin of the planet and constantly
move around the planet but only a few centimetres each
year. They move so slowly that you can't see it.

Sometimes there are collisions between the plates, especially in the contact
areas between them, causing earthquakes, tidal waves, volcano eruptions and land and
water reliefs. The displacement of the plates also gives rise to other phenomena;
Sometimes, when the plates collide, they cause intense internal forces in both
horizontal and vertical directions. If collisions forces act on plastic materials, the Earth´s
surface undulates, causing folds. If these forces act on rigid materials, the crust
fractures in blocks, forming faults; in this case, some blocks rise and others remain
sunken.

b. Answer true or false

1. Continents fit together like pieces of a huge puzzle.

2. The surface of the Earth is completely still.

3. The earthquakes happen when two tectonic plates

push against each other.

4. 225 million years ago there were just one giant

continent, Pangea.

5. The theory about tectonic plates explains why there

are mountains, continents and ... earthquakes!

6. If collisions forces act on plastic materials, the

Earth´s surface undulates, causing faults

I.E.S. “RODRIGO CARO”. CORIA DEL RÍO 3

 1º ESO Unit 2. Relief and landforms

The Relief

a. Read and Translate

Relief is the distortion we find in the Earth’s crust. The relief of the
continents is very varied. The Earth´s relief changes slowly, by the action of
external forces: Erosion, Transportation and Sedimentation, but the most
important is the erosion. The most important erosion agents are:

 Temperature. Abrupt changes in temperatures cause rocks to

break into many fragments. This happen in mountains and deserts
 Water can dissolve some of the components of rocks, giving rise
to peculiar caves and landscapes. The rivers tear away materials,
excavate deep valleys and canyons and deposit materials on the
banks. On the coastline, the waves and currents spoil coasts and
form beaches.
 Wind erodes the rocks and forms particles of sand that strike
other rocks. Also it transports the sand and form dunes
 Human beings. Fires, Agriculture, Forest felling, buildings of roads
and reservoirs, mine exploitation, cattle raising and have changed
the landscape

The main forms of continental relief are:

o Mountains, high terrains with steep slopes. They can be isolated, but, they
are generally gathered together forming mountain ranges, mountain
systems and mountain belt. They are found all over the world. The highest
mountain belt is the Himalayas, in central Asia; the highest peak in the
world, Mount Everest (8.846 m.)

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 1º ESO Unit 2. Relief and landforms

o Plateaux, extensive flat areas, located at a certain altitude above sea

level. The highest plateaux in the world are in Tibet, in Asia, and in the
Altiplano boliviano.

o Plains are low flat areas located on coasts and in big rivers basins, such as
the Amazon in South America and the Mississippi in North America.
There are many plains in Europe

o Depressions are areas located below sea level. The most important ones
are in Asia. The deepest depression in the world is the Dead Sea

The continental Seven Summits are famous because it is difficult to conquer them.
But the highest peaks of the world (8,000 meters) are in the East Hemisphere, in the
Himalayan and the Karakoram mountain ranges of Nepal and Pakistan.

The oceanic relief is formed by:

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 1º ESO Unit 2. Relief and landforms

o Continental shelves, extensions of the continents about 200 metres depth

o Continental slopes, big slope that separates the continental shelves from
the oceanic basins
o Oceanic basins, large submarine plains between slopes and ridges
o Oceanic ridges are submerged mountain belts that can exceed 3000
metres. The highest point project from the water and form islands

b. Fill the gaps

 ............................................................. big slope that separates the continental

shelves from the oceanic basins
 The large submarine plains between slopes and ridges
are........................................

c. Put the correct terms at the end of the definition

 A movement of the Earth produced by the collision of tectonics plates

 High terrains with steep slopes
 The top part of the mantle and the crust
 Extensions of the continents about 200 metres depth
 The highest plateaux in the world
 Central part of the Earth
 When all of the plates were joined together
 Middle layer of the Earth

d. Answer the next questions:

i. Fill the blanks with the names of the mountains or continents

that are missing.

CONTINENT MOUNTAIN METERS

Everest 8,850
Aconcagua 6,962
North America 6,194
Africa 5,963
Elbrus 5,633
Australia 5,030
Vinson Massif 4,897

ii. Where are the highest peaks of the world?

iii. Which is the highest mountain of the world?

I.E.S. “RODRIGO CARO”. CORIA DEL RÍO 6

 1º ESO Unit 2. Relief and landforms

VOCABULARY UNIT 2. THE EARTH: STRUCTURE AND RELIEF

Ashes
Continental shelves
Continental slopes
Continents
Depressions
Earthquakes
Erosion
Fault
Fold
Inner Core
Island
Lava,
Litosphere
Magma
Mantle
Mountains
Oceanic basins
Oceanic ridges
Oceans
Outer Core
Pangea
Plains
Plateaux
Relief
Volcanoes

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 1º ESO Unit 2. Relief and landforms

VOCABULARY

Ashes (cenizas): solid material from the magma

Continental shelves (plataforma continental): vast submerged plateaux about
200 metres depth
Continental slopes (taludes continentales): big slope that separates the
continental shelves from the Oceanic basins
Continents (continentes): Large surface land masses of the earth
Depressions (depresiones): Areas located below sea level
Earthquakes (terremotos): Abrupt subterranean movements that take place in
the Earth´s crust due to the fracture and displacement of rocks in the Earth
´s interior
Erosion (erosión): Is an external force that can changes the relief
Fault (fallas): A crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of
one side with respect to the other
Fold (pliegues): The Earth´s surface undulates
Core (núcleo): The most internal layer of the Earth
Island (isla): a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by
water
Lava (lava): Liquid materials ejected from the Earth´s interior
Litosphere (litosfera): is the solid outer part of the Earth.
Magma (magma): Hot materials ejected from the Earth´s interior
Mantle (manto): Is the intermediate layer of the Earth.
Mountains (montañas):High terrains with steep slopes
Oceanic basins (llanuras abisales): Are vast troughs located between slopes
and ridges
Oceanic ridges (dorsales oceánicas): Are submerged mountain belts that can
exceed 3.000 metres
Oceans (océanos): Are great masses of salt water
Pangea: When the continents were joined
Plains (llanuras): Are low, flat areas located on coasts and in big rivers basins
Plateaux (Mesetas o Altiplanos): Are a extensive flat areas, located at a
certain altitude above sea level
Relief (relieve): is the distosions found in the Earth´s crust
Volcanoes (volcanes): Are openings or crevices in the Earth´s crust through
wich materials are ejected from the Earth´s interior

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 1º ESO Unit 2. Relief and landforms

VOCABULARY UNIT 2. THE EARTH: STRUCTURE AND RELIEF

Continents (continentes): Large surface land masses of the earth

Depressions (depresiones): Areas located below sea level
Earthquakes (terremotos): Abrupt subterranean movements that take place in
the Earth´s crust due to the fracture and displacement of rocks in the Earth´s
interior
Erosion (erosión): Is an external force that can changes the relief
Fault (fallas): A crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of
one side with respect to the other
Fold (pliegues): The Earth´s surface undulates
Island (isla): a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
Litosphere (litosfera): is the solid outer part of the Earth.
Mantle (manto): Is the intermediate layer of the Earth.
Mountains (montañas):High terrains with steep slopes
Oceans (océanos): Are great masses of salt water
Pangea: When the continents were joined
Plains (llanuras): Are low, flat areas located on coasts and in big rivers basins
Plateaux (Mesetas o Altiplanos): Are a extensive flat areas, located at a certain
altitude above sea level
Relief (relieve): is the distosions found in the Earth´s crust
Volcanoes (volcanes): Are openings or crevices in the Earth´s crust through wich
materials are ejected from the Earth´s interior

I.E.S. “RODRIGO CARO”. CORIA DEL RÍO 9

 1º ESO Unit 2. Relief and landforms

AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH - Marvin Gaye

Listen Baby

Ain't no ......................high.
Ain't no ...................... low.
Ain't no ........................ wide enough baby.

If you need me, call me

No matter where you are
No matter how...................,

dont worry baby

Just call my name

I'll be there in a hurry
You don't have to worry

cause baby,
There aint no ................ high enough
aint no ................. low enough
aint no ............... wide enough
To keep me from getting to you, babe

.......................the day
I set you free
I told you you could ....................count on me darling
From that day on, I made a vow
I'll be there when you want me
Someway, somehow

cause baby,
Ain't no ........................... high enough
Ain't no ................... low enough
Ain't no .................... wide enough
To keep me from getting to you, babe

oh no darling
No ..............., no ...................
Nor winter storm
can't stop me baby
no no baby
Cause you are my goal
If your ever in ......................
I'll be there on the double
just send for me
oh baby!

I.E.S. “RODRIGO CARO”. CORIA DEL RÍO 1

 1º ESO Unit 2. Relief and landforms

My ........................ is alive
way down in my ..............
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand
I'll be there on the ...........................
Just as fast as I can

Don't you know that there

ain't no .................... high enough
Ain't no ....................... low enough
Ain't no ........................ wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe

Don't you know that there

Ain`t no ................. high enough
Ain`t no .......................... low enough
Ain`t no ..................... wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe.

FILL THE GAPS WITH THESE WORDS

Love, river, mountain, wind, Always, valley, Far, Valley, double, mountain,
river, valley, remember, river, mountain, mountain, river, valley, rain, trouble,
mountain, river, valley, heart

I.E.S. “RODRIGO CARO”. CORIA DEL RÍO 1