Changes to Earth’s Surface
Name 3 examples of fast changes to Earth’s surface
Volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis
The oldest sedimentary layers are found on the ______.
Bottom
When rocks break apart, wear away, or dissolve into smaller particles it is called _________.
Weathering
Molten rock on the inside of a volcano is called _______.
Magma
A series of ocean waves caused by an underwater earthquake, an underwater volcanic eruption or a landslide is called a __________.
Name 3 examples of slow changes to Earth’s surface
Weathering, erosion, and deposition
The moving of sediment from one place to another is called ________.
Erosion
When sediment is dropped in a new place it is called ________.
Depositon
Most volcanoes are located in the ________.
The place where two tectonic plates meet and push against each other is called a ________.
Traces of animals or plants that lived long ago found in sedimentary layers are called _______.
Fossils
Weathering, erosion, and deposition cause landforms such as mountains, valleys, and plains to change over _________ years.
Millions
Small particles of rock that break apart during weathering are called ________.
Sediment
Tsunamis cause damage by _________.
Destroying houses, buildings, roads, trees, plants, and sweeping people and cars away.
Scientists can tell a natural disaster is coming by _________.
Seismometers detect earthquakes and tsunami buoys detect tsunamis
Scientists use _________ found in sedimentary layers to figure out what life was like during the time the sediment was deposited.
Fossils
Sedimentary rocks get hardened into different color layers called _________.
Sedimentary Layers
Name 3 things that cause weathering, erosion, and deposition.
Wind, water, ice, chemicals, animals, plants
Name 3 things that cause tsunamis
Landslides, earthquakes, and volcanoes
Name 3 things released during a volcanic eruption
Ash, lava, poisonous gases
What did South Dakota used to look like and how do scientists know this?
South Dakota used to be the bottom of the ocean, then it was a savannah with mammoths, then it became a desert. Scientists know this because of the fossils found in sedimentary layers.
What can scientists do to prevent erosion?
Put plants, logs, rocks, and other structures along hills to keep soil in place.
How does weathering affect rock formations?
Weathering breaks off sediment and changes the shape of landforms, creates arches, or makes new landforms.
Describe how an earthquake happens.
Two plates push against each other and release energy in waves. This causes the ground to shake along the fault line.
Scientists can help prevent natural disasters from harming people by ________.
They can use scientific tools to detect natural disasters before they happen so people can evacuate and build structures that don’t get destroyed during a natural disaster.