Layers - January/February 2010

Layers is digital photography and vector drawing magazine.

Over the course of its 4.5 billion-year history, Earth has undergone a great number of changes -- from a red-hot ball of molten lava to a planet with an environment capable of sustaining life. In All About Earth's History, children will trace the evolution of Earth and the organisms that populate it. Young viewers will take a peek deep inside the Earth, examining its varied layers while discussing how scientists use fossils to help map out the complex time line of events that has changed Earth over millions of years.

Grades:  K to 4

The geological history of the Earth covers billions of years! In Geological History, students will examine a time line of the Earth, tracking its violent beginnings and ever-changing face. Discover the four major segments of geologic time (the Precambrian and the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras), and learn about the plant and animal life that developed during each. A journey under the sea shows how geologists study the layers of rock that lie deep under the ocean floor...

The Earth is made of layers, each with its own unique characteristics and processes that make it a vital part of the planet. The solid inner core, for example, is the farthest layer from the planet's surface, yet it provides much of the heat needed to fuel dramatic surface phenomena . Likewise, the outer core generates a magnetic field that protects the planet from harmful particles in space. In "Layers of the Earth", learn how scientists use modern tools land global positioning systems to study the workings of the inner Earth.