From crust to core
Our planet is built in LAYERS, and this word search gathers them. You'll track down the four main ones — the rocky CRUST we live on, the thick MANTLE below it, and the INNER and OUTER CORE at the centre, made mostly of IRON and NICKEL.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the planet changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode dig once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
A planet on the move
The Earth is anything but still, and the words are here. Floating on the MANTLE are the TECTONIC PLATES, both OCEANIC and continental, meeting at a BOUNDARY or a FAULT where an EARTHQUAKE sends out SEISMIC waves. Deep down, MOLTEN MAGMA churns in slow CONVECTION currents, driven by immense PRESSURE, HEAT and DENSITY — all beneath the solid BEDROCK.
A journey to the centre
If you could dig straight down, you'd pass through four very different layers. The CRUST is surprisingly thin — like the skin on an apple compared to the whole fruit — and it's the only part we've ever drilled into. Below it the rocky MANTLE makes up most of the planet, then comes a liquid OUTER CORE, and right at the heart a solid INNER CORE of IRON and NICKEL, squeezed solid by unimaginable PRESSURE even though it's hotter than the surface of the Sun.
All that heat keeps the planet alive and moving. It stirs the mantle in slow CONVECTION currents, which drag the giant TECTONIC PLATES of the crust around over millions of years. Where two plates grind past each other along a FAULT, the sudden jolt is an EARTHQUAKE, sending SEISMIC waves rippling out — the same waves scientists use to 'see' the hidden layers deep below.
Great for an Earth-science topic
It pairs perfectly with a lesson on the planet's structure, earthquakes and plate tectonics — Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use our Make Your Own tool to build a grid from your own Earth-science words.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the Earth's layers word search?
The structure of our planet — the crust, mantle and inner and outer core, plus tectonic plates, faults, earthquakes and convection. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
What are the Earth's main layers?
Four — the rocky CRUST, the thick MANTLE, and the INNER and OUTER CORE of iron and nickel, all hidden in the grid with the TECTONIC PLATES that ride on top.
Is it good for an Earth-science topic?
Great fit — pair it with a lesson on the planet's structure, earthquakes and plate tectonics. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.