Year 9 Earth and Environmental Science Syllabus: A Full Guide

Earth and Environmental Sciences is always a bit neglected in high schools compared to the “big three” of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. But it tackles some of the biggest questions of our time: Where did Earth’s continents come from? Why do we get volcanoes and earthquakes? And how can we understand and protect our planet?

In this guide, we’ll break down the key topics in the Victoria Year 9 Earth and Environmental Science syllabus—so you’ll know exactly what to expect and how to get ahead. Check out the other articles in the series: Year 9 Chemistry Syllabus, Year 9 Physics Syllabus, and Year 9 Biology Syllabus.

Table of contents:

• Plate tectonics
• Layers of the Earth
• Volcanoes and earthquakes
• The four Earth spheres
• Earth’s recycling systems
• Climate change
• Human impact and climate change
• Free Year 9 Earth and Environmental Science Worksheet

Ace the Year 9 Science syllabus

Year 9 Earth and Environmental Science syllabus: Plate tectonics

The study of the Earth is also called Geology. The first big geological concept you’ll study in Year 9 Science is Plate Tectonics—the theory that Earth’s outer shell is broken into plates that move around on the planet’s surface (lithosphere).

This theory helps us understand geological processes, including earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain formation, and the distribution of continents and oceans.

It all began with Alfred Wegener, who proposed the idea of continental drift in 1912.

He noticed that:

• Continents like South America and Africa fit together like puzzle pieces.
  
• Fossils of the same plants and animals were found on different continents.
  
• Mountain ranges seemed to continue from one continent to another.

Although Wegener had compelling evidence, he couldn’t explain how the continents moved. That explanation came decades later.

By the 1950s-1960s, scientists discovered new evidence for a moving Earth:

1. Mid ocean ridges where new crust forms, deep-sea trenches where old crust sinks back into Earth, and patterns of seafloor spreading.
2. Paleomagnetism—when rocks keep a record of Earth’s magnetic field from the time they formed. Earth’s magnetic field switches direction roughly every 500,000 years. Scientists found matching stripes of magnetism on both sides of underwater 

These discoveries supported the theory that Earth’s lithosphere is broken into tectonic plates that float on the asthenosphere AKA plate tectonics.

So, are you ready to:

• Give examples of rock formations, fossils, and coastlines that helped Wegner develop his theories?
• Explain how these examples provided evidence for tectonic drift?
• Name the features of the Earth that supported plate tectonics?
• Explain paleomagnetism?
• Distinguish between the solid lithosphere and the fluid asthenosphere?

Year 9 syllabus: Layers of the Earth

Since then, scientists have gathered information on far more than the lithosphere and asthenosphere. We’ve divided the Earth into 4 layers:

1. Crust (lithosphere and upper asthenosphere): The thin, solid outermost layer. This is where we live.
2. Mantle: Hot, semi-molten rock that flows slowly.
3. Outer core: Made of liquid metal.
4. Inner core: Solid metal under intense pressure.

 As you go deeper into Earth, temperature increases, pressure increases, and materials change from rock to molten metal

So, are you ready to:

• Memorise the four layers of Earth?
• Explain how conditions like temperature and pressure change as you go deeper into the Earth?

Year 9 Earth Science: Volcanoes and earthquakes

Tectonic activity is responsible for natural features like mountains and volcanoes—and natural disasters like earthquakes.

You’ll learn about two main types of volcanoes:

Fissure volcanoes

Found at divergent plate boundaries, where plates move apart. 

• Magma rises through long cracks or fissures in Earth’s crust.
• The magma is runny, so pressure builds up slowly.
• Eruptions are wide and gentle, not from a single vent.
• They release large amounts of lava that can spread across wide areas.

These eruptions are non-explosive and tend to form flat, broad volcanic features.

Dome volcanoes

Found at convergent plate boundaries, where one plate is forced under another. 

• This thick magma builds up around the vent, creating steep-sided, rounded domes.
• It traps gas, which causes pressure to build up over time.
• When the pressure is released, it leads to explosive eruptions.

So, are you ready to:

• Memorise types of volcanoes?
• Explain how the movement of tectonic plates creates different types of volcanoes?

Year 9 Earth Science: The four Earth spheres

You’ll then look at the Earth from a broader perspective. Environmental scientists look at the Environment as the interaction between four spheres:

• Lithosphere – all solid earth (rocks, soil)
  Hydrosphere – all water (rivers, oceans, lakes)
• Atmosphere – all gases around Earth
• Biosphere – all living things

For example, a volcanic eruption affects:

• The lithosphere: Magma forms new rocks like obsidian; underwater eruptions can build island chains (e.g. Hawaii).
• The atmosphere: Ash and dust can rise high and reflect sunlight, causing temporary global cooling (like the mini ice age in the 6th century).
• The hydrosphere: Ash particles can lead to rain cloud formation.
• The biosphere: Eruptions can damage habitats short-term, but ash enriches soil, supporting plant growth—which is why many farms exist on volcano slopes.

So, are you ready to:

• Describe the four spheres?
• Explain how changes in one sphere can affect the other three?
• Use what you have learned about tectonic plates, volcanoes and earthquakes in a wider context?

Biogeochemical cycles: Earth’s recycling systems

When volcanoes add elements like magnesium and potassium to soils, they are contributing to the Earth’s biochemical cycles. These cycles involve elements moving between the four spheres. 

For example, here’s how carbon moves:

• Released into the atmosphere (as carbon dioxide) by volcanoes or burning fossil fuels
• Absorbed by plants through photosynthesis in the biosphere
• OR dissolved in a raindrop or in oceans in the hydrosphere
• Stored in rocks in the lithosphere

These cycles support all life, but they’re also sensitive to change.

Victoria Year 9 syllabus: Human impact and climate change

Human actions affect all of Earth’s systems. Changing the course of rivers, filling oceans with waste, mining, deforestation, pollution and urbanisation all change how the spheres interact. 

But the most serious issue? Climate change.

Climate change is being caused by the enhanced greenhouse effect—a result of releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than Earth can naturally absorb.

The more CO₂ we add, the more solar radiation gets trapped, raising global temperatures and disrupting the balance of the four spheres.

If we want to save the world in which the human race evolved, we need to understand the complex interplay between the spheres. Only then can we learn how to minimise our impact on the Earth.

In Year 9, you’ll learn how:

• Solar radiation heats the Earth
• Greenhouse gases trap this heat
• Climate change impacts the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere

You’ll also explore how these disruptions affect the Earth’s biogeochemical cycles (like the carbon and water cycles) and why understanding them is essential for protecting our future.

So, are you ready to:

• Discuss the Earth’s biochemical cycles?
• Explain how human activity has impacted these cycles and the four spheres?
• Engage with understanding and solving climate change?

Now, test your skills and get ready for Year 9 Earth and Environmental Science!

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