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What Can You Use to Model the Layers of Earth?

If you could cut a slice out of the Earth, like cutting a slice out of a watermelon, you would find four distinct layers. The centermost layer is made of solid metal. The layer that surrounds the solid-metal center is liquid metal. These two layers, called the core, are extremely hot and about 2,200 miles thick combined. The mantle layer covers the core. It is cooler than the core, but still hot enough that some of the rock is molten or liquid. The mantle is roughly 1,800 miles thick. A layer of solid rock forms the outermost layer. It is between 4 miles and 25 miles thick. Earth̵7;s crust is the only layer that supports life. Use your imagination when choosing materials to make your model of Earth̵7;s layers.

Food
- Food is an ideal material for modeling Earth̵7;s layers. Use a solid, round food item for the center layer; a semisolid food for the second layer; a more-solid food for the third layer; and a thin, solid food for the outer crust. Use your imagination to choose the food layers. Use a spice drop for the center layer, marshmallows for the second layer, crispy rice treats for the third layer and chocolate sauce that hardens for the outer layer.
Clay
- Purchase four colors of modeling clay that will represent the relative temperatures of the four layers. Orange clay represents the solid-metal inner core. Substitute a small ball instead of clay for the solid-metal layer to help you keep your model round and give it a three-dimensional effect. Red clay represents the liquid metal core. Yellow clay represents the third, semisolid layer. Brown clay represents the outer crust.
Papier-Mâché and Paint
- Cut a slice out of a plastic-foam ball to represent a slice of the Earth that reveals the layers. Place two layers of papier-mâché around a plastic-foam ball. Paint the sliced-out area different colors to represent the temperatures of Earth̵7;s layers. Use orange paint to represent the solid-metal core. Use red paint to represent the molten-metal core. Use yellow paint to represent the semisolid layer and use brown paint to represent the outer core.
Add Authenticity
- Make your model a more-realistic representation of the earth by adding authenticity. If food is your construction material, use food coloring to color the different layers to represent their relative temperatures. If clay is your construction material, model the oceans and continents from blue and green clay. If your construction materials are papier-mâché and paint, paint the blue oceans and green continents on the model.

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