Layers of the Atmosphere Demonstration

Approximate Time to Complete: 10-15 Minutes + Questions & Journal Time

About this activity

In this experiment, you will demonstrate how the atmosphere settles into layers based on density using different liquids to represent each layer. This is an extension of Earth’s Blanket.

What you’ll learn

  • The atmosphere is separated into 5 different layers based on the density of each layer.
  • Sand/Dirt
  • Honey
  • Corn Syrup
  • Dish Soap
  • Water (coloring optional)
  • Oil
  • Beaker or Cup
  1. What happens when you pour honey, water, and oil into a beaker as you did in The First Great Lesson?
  1. Pour 20mL sand into the beaker.
  2. Pour 20mL honey into the beaker.
  3. Pour 20mL corn syrup into the beaker.
  4. Pour 20mL dish soap into the beaker.
  5. Pour 20mL water into the beaker.
  6. Pour 20mL oil into the beaker.
  7. Observe what happened.

*You do not have to use exactly 20mL of each liquid, just use enough to be able to distinguish the layers.

Use these questions as a guide to write a journal entry, make a poster, give a presentation, or write a research report about your experiment or a related topic.

  1. What did you observe as you poured each liquid into the beaker?
  2. Are there perfect lines between each liquid?.
  3. Can you match each liquid to a layer of the atmosphere?
    • Troposphere
    • Stratosphere
    • Mesosphere
    • Thermosphere
    • Exosphere
  4. Which layer of Earth does the dirt/sand represent?

Check out more free experiments!

Are you interested in seeing what Learn Libre’s big-picture lessons, hands-on experiments, and engaging science activities are all about? Check out the free lessons below!