Density of Lithosphere and Mantle Rocks Experiment

Density of Lithosphere and Mantle Rocks Experiment
Publication Date: June, 2019
Type of Resource: Student worksheet

This downloadable resource involves an activity that investigates the densities of rocks.

The resources include a worksheet detailing an experiment to measure the densities of rock samples from the lithosphere and mantle to verify that 'slab pull' is the dominant force driving the movement of tectonic plates (a separate copy with example answers is also provided) along with teacher notes in the form of an original published article.

Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S8U03 (Year 8), AC9S8U04 (Year 8)

Additional Information

The article and worksheets were first published in Issue 65.2 of Teaching Science (June 2019) and were made available to Science ASSIST by the author of the article, Colin Price, from Daramalan College in the ACT.

Australian Curriculum:
  • Year 9 > Science Inquiry Skills > Processing and analysing data and information > Use knowledge of scientific concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent... > ACSIS170
  • Year 9 > Science Understanding > Earth and Space Sciences > The theory of plate tectonics explains global patterns of geological activity... > ACSSU180
  • Year 9 > Science as a Human Endeavour > Nature and development of science > Advances in scientific understanding often rely on technological advances and... > ACSHE158
  • Year Senior Secondary > Science Inquiry Skills > Processing and analysing data and information
  • Year Senior Secondary > Science Understanding > Earth and Space Sciences
  • Year Senior Secondary > Science as a Human Endeavour > Nature and development of science