The rationale behind this study lies in students’ spatial reasoning capabilities and highlights the significance of selecting appropriate approaches and utilising geospatial technology in the context of geography teaching, particularly in relation to the subject matter of lithospheric dynamics. Consequently, this study focuses on analysing the impact of implementing a scientific approach supported by the use of Google Earth to develop students’ critical thinking skills. Two non-equivalent control groups were involved in this quasi-experimental study, namely the control group and the experimental group, each comprising 36 Year 10 pupils from SMAN 2 Lamongan. The techniques used to collect research data comprised documentation, observation and spatial reasoning (post-test and pre-test), with the data obtained analysed using the N-gain, z-test and descriptive statistics. According to the N-gain test, a significant difference was found, with the control group achieving lower post-test scores than the experimental group. Furthermore, the hypothesis test revealed a significant difference between the two groups, with the calculated Z-value exceeding the critical Z-value (8.41 > 1.96). This indicates that a learning model utilising Google Earth, based on geospatial technology and a scientific approach, can significantly enhance pupils’ thinking skills, as this model fosters a contextual, interactive and meaningful learning environment, particularly in understanding the dynamics of the lithosphere. Consequently, a learning model utilising Google Earth can motivate pupils to think spatially, particularly in the subject of geography.