Vocanoes
What is the area of volcanic activity in the Pacific Ocean called?
The Ring of Fire
Some volcanos erupt and some just flow slowly. What kind of volcanos do scientists call the explosive erupting kind?
Cone Volcano
When water fills a crack and then freezes, it can damage the rock. What is this called?
ice wedging
Are the oldest fossils in the top layers of rock or the bottom layers?
The bottom layers of rock are the oldest.
What is one thing that can lead to a landslide?
This is caused by excessive rain, steep hills or mountains, and unstable soil.
What causes volcanos to pop up where they do?
Tectonic plates contact each other causing volcanoes and earthquakes.
What kind of volcano is not violently erupting, but it just has lava flowing slowly?
Shield Volcano
When a seed falls into a crack, its roots can damage the rock. What is this called?
root wedging
How can we figure out what an area was like by looking at the fossils in the rock layers?
The fossils can tell us what type of creatures lived in that area (aquatic or land animals for example).
Would you expect a volcano to pop up where you live? Why or why not?
It is possible, but we don't expect volcanos to pop up in Michigan because most volcanos occur near the Ring of Fire.
What kind of volcano has thin lava?
Shield volcanos
Describe the rocks at the top of a mountain.
These rocks are sharp and jagged.
What are sediments?
Materials such as sand, rock, minerals, etc. that are moved from one place to another by elements such as wind or water.
Why is volcanic rock sometimes found far away from the ring of fire? How did it get there?
What kind of volcano has very thick lava?
Cone Volcano
These rocks are smoother and more rounded.
How is sedimentary rock formed?
The sediments get buried and the pressure that forms creates the sedimentary rock.
Which ocean has the most active volcanos?
The Pacific Ocean
Why do cone volcanos explode when they erupt?
Lots of gasses get trapped below and pressure builds up. The pressure eventually gets to be too much and it explodes.
What causes the rocks at the bottom of a mountain to be more rounded than those at the top?
Hint: Think of the sugar cube experiment.
The rock travels down the mountain and the edges break off as it travels down.
What are some examples of fossils that have been found in sedimentary rock?
Dinosaurs, fish, shells, plants, land animals, oceanic animals.