Rock Cycle 🪨
A rock contains very large crystals.
Do you think it cooled above or below Earth's surface? Explain.
Below Earth's surface because it cooled slowly, allowing large crystals to form
Which part of an animal is most likely to become a fossil: skin or bone?
Bone
Which soil layer contains the most humus?
Topsoil
What material in soil comes from dead plants and animals?
Humus
Which soil layer is made of hard rock?
Bedrock
A rock is buried deep underground and exposed to heat and pressure. What process is happening?
Metamorphism
A student found layers of rock containing fossils. Which type of rock is it most likely?
Sedimentary rock
A gardener wants soil that holds some water but also drains excess water. Which soil should she choose?
Loam soil
Why do farmers add fertiliser?
To replace lost minerals used by the previouse growned plants.
Why are fossils rarely found in igneous rocks?
Heat destroys remains, melts the rock
A student says:"When a rock melts, it disappears forever."
Do you agree? Why or why not?
No. Melted rock becomes magma and can later cool to form new igneous rocks
Two rock layers were discovered:
Layer A contains many fossils.
Layer B contains no fossils.
Which layer is more likely to be sedimentary rock? Explain.
Layer A because fossils are usually found in sedimentary rocks
Why do many plants struggle to grow in clay soil?
It is tightly packed and holds too much water.
A farmer grows the same crop every year. Why might the plants stop growing well?
Nutrients/minerals become less
A student says:
"All rocks stay the same forever."
Do you agree? Explain.
No. Rocks change through the rock cycle
If erosion and sedimentation stopped happening on Earth, which type of rock would be affected the most? Explain.
Sedimentary rocks, because sediments would no longer be deposited and compressed into rock.
Why are fossils usually found in sedimentary rocks?
Because sediments bury and preserve remains
A farmer finds that water passes through his soil very quickly and crops dry out often. Which soil type does he probably have, and why?
Sandy soil because it drains water too quickly
A farmer wants to improve soil without adding fertiliser every year. What farming method could help and why?
Crop rotation because it helps maintain soil nutrients
Which would take longer: forming a fossil or cooling lava into rock?
Forming a fossil
A piece of granite becomes sand, then sandstone, then metamorphic rock, then magma.
Put the processes in the correct order. (you have 30 sec)
Erosion → Sedimentation/Burial → Metamorphism → Melting
Scientists found the bones of an animal, but no skin or fur.
Why do you think this happened?
Hard parts are preserved more easily than soft parts
What would happen if the topsoil layer was completely removed from a farm? Explain your reasoning.
Plant growth would decrease because topsoil contains humus and nutrients
A farmer notices that his crops are turning yellow and growing slowly.
What evidence would you collect before deciding how to solve the problem?
Soil type, nutrient levels, water availability, climate conditions, etc
A dinosaur dies near a river. Millions of years later, scientists find its fossil inside a sedimentary rock.
Describe the sequence of events that most likely happened.
Death → Burial by sediment → More sediment layers accumulate → Compression/mineral replacement → Fossil forms → Sedimentary rock forms.