Changing Earths Surface
Identify the two main types of weathering, and define them
Chemical, changes the make up of the rock (usually with air/water)
Physical only changes the size of the rock not the composition.
Define the "magnitude" of an earthquake.
The amount of energy released in an earthquake
What are "grains" in a rock?
The individual minerals inside the rock
Define "severe weather" and provide three examples.
Severe weather is any weather that causes property damage, injury, or death.
Hurricanes, tornados, droughts.....
Define "renewable" and "nonrenewable" resources.
Renewable resources are used at the rate or slower than they can be created.
Nonrenewable is used at a rate faster than they can be created
Describe how a glacier erodes the land as it moves.
The rocks frozen inside the glacier scrape the ground while the glacier moves
Explain the relationship between plate boundaries and the frequency of earthquakes.
Most earthquakes occur at boundaries because that is where the most stress builds up as plates move against each other.
Describe the difference between "intrusive" and "extrusive" igneous rocks.
Intrusive comes from magma and is found under ground. Extrusive is formed from lava and found on top of land.
Why are "flash floods" considered particularly dangerous compared to regional flooding?
They come without warning
Why is soil considered a natural resource?
It is necessary for growing the plants that provide food and oxygen for all living things.
How does the slope (steepness) of a stream affect its ability to change the landscape?
The steeper the stream the more erosion will happen because it will move faster the steeper the slope is.
Why do volcanoes often form a chain of islands when located over a hot spot?
As a tectonic plate moves over a stationary hot spot, new volcanoes form in a line while older ones become dormant.
Explain the process of "lithification".
The process of sediment turning into solid rock through compaction and cementation.
How does urbanization increase the risk of flooding in a specific area?
When we change a farm into a city we change the ground to something that does not absorb the water, we are also creating blocked off area the water has to be instead of open fields.
Choose an everyday object and identify at least three natural resources that were required to make it.
pencil: wood, graphite,metal
Provide an example of a landform that can be created by each ice, water, and wind by erosion/weathering.
Water:V-shaped valleys/canyons. Ice: Horn/arete/u-shaped valley/cirque/hanging valley. Wind: Sand Dunes/Loess/Arches/Sandblasted Rocks
Compare the Richter Scale to the Modified Mercalli Scale. Which is more useful for describing the physical impact on a city?
Richter scale measures the size/magnitude of the earthquake. Modified Mercalli scale is used to describe the damage done by an earthquake
Explain how a sedimentary rock could eventually become an igneous rock through the rock cycle.
A sedimentary rock gets buried and melts into magma. That magma then cools down becoming an igneous rock
Analyze how a long-term drought can impact a country’s economy beyond just a lack of drinking water.
It can cause plants to not be able to grow (less water) this then means that they can not sell as much of the produce increasing the prices.
Discuss why humans are trying to move toward using more renewable energy resources like solar and wind power.
To reduce pollution and because we will eventually run out of nonrenewable fossil fuels.
If you found a U-shaped valley in a part of the world that is currently a hot desert, what conclusion could you draw about what that area looked like thousands of years ago?
That the area used to be closer to the poles and had a cold environment since u-shaped valleys are made from glaciers
Compare the warning signs of a volcanic eruption to those of an earthquake. Why is one significantly easier for scientists to predict than the other?
Volcanoes show physical signs (bulging/gas) before erupting; earthquakes happen instantly when stress is released with no visible warning.
Explain how the process of weathering is a necessary step for the formation of sedimentary rocks .
Sedimentary rocks are made out of pieces of other rocks/minerals/organism being cemented together. Weathering is the process of the sediments (pieces of rocks) are formed
Looking at Severe Weather, explain why a "storm surge" from a hurricane is often more deadly than the actual wind of the hurricane.
It causes massive, immediate flooding that can trap people and destroy foundations, whereas wind is easier to shield against.
If fossil fuels are made of ancient plants and animals (natural matter), why is burning them considered a "human-caused" problem for the atmosphere, whereas a forest fire is often considered a "natural" part of the cycle?
Fossil fuels store carbon for millions of years; burning them releases that ancient carbon into the atmosphere all at once, whereas forest fires are part of a faster, modern carbon cycle.