The story of a sand grain

'A world in a grain of sand’ - what can a grain of sand tell us about its past?

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This ELI is a ‘thought experiment’ on erosion, transportation and deposition.

For younger ages, it could be used to write a story or draw a cartoon about the life of
Sandy Grain. Start with a grain of sand on a beach, and describe where it has come from and what will happen to it.

Related activities can be found in 'Sedimentary processes' and 'ELI Early years'.

Graphite, an essential mineral for the Green Revolution

We are continuing our latest series with 'Essential Minerals for the Green Revolution – 4 Graphite: from a pencil to the electric car!'

This ELI is an investigation into the sources of graphite as worldwide demand rises, with the introduction of new technology for motor vehicles, such as lithium-ion batteries. Worldwide demand for graphite and related elements is rising rapidly as new technologies are embraced.

Other related activities in our 'Essential minerals' series can be found in the ELI Minerals category.

 

Evidence for the Earth's core

Today's ELI is 'A core activity; piecing together evidence for the composition of the Earth’s core'.

This Earthlearningidea asks pupils to examine and discuss the evidence for the composition of the Earth’s core.

Related ideas can be found in our Earth Materials category in 'Structure of the Earth'.

The effect of the Earth's core on earthquake waves

The new ELI today is 'Shadowlands; simulating the effect of the Earth’s core on earthquake waves'.

This is a simulation exercise to demonstrate that the shadow zones created by earthquake waves are affected by the size and physical properties of the Earth’s liquid outer core.

Other related activities can be found in two categories: 'Structure of the Earth' and 'Earthquakes'.