The Composition of Earth
Rock strata always form in which direction?
What is: horizontal, from bottom to top
Rock strata (layers) are typically deposited in a horizontal manner due to the Law of Original Horizontality, and newer layers accumulate on top of older ones, meaning the sequence forms from the bottom to the top.
Fossils are almost always found in this type of rock.
What is: sedimentary rock
How are igneous rocks formed?
Why is Earth considered a closed system?
What is: The matter on Earth now is the only matter that will ever be on Earth.
Why is the outer core liquid while the inner core is solid?
What is: the higher pressure on the inner core prevents it from liquifying
Tectonic plates are pieces that make up which layer of Earth?
What is: the crust
Which of the following uses relative time?
A. Loren left to go to school between breakfast and lunch.
B. On Wednesday, Carson has a math test
C. It usually snows here in January.
D. Holloman goes to tutoring at 5 o'clock.
What is: A. Loren left to go to school between breakfast and lunch.
Relative time refers to describing events in relation to other events rather than using specific dates or times. Saying that Loren left for school between breakfast and lunch places the event in a sequence but does not give an exact time, making it an example of relative time.
You have 2 sedimentary rocks. Why does one weather faster than the other?
What is: sedimentary rocks can be made of different types of sediment with different strengths
The base of food webs is what?
What are: Producers
How do we know when ancient volcanoes erupted?
What is: they create igneous rocks which can be dated.
When a volcano erupts, it produces igneous rocks such as basalt, andesite, or pumice. These rocks contain minerals that can be dated using radiometric dating methods like potassium-argon (K-Ar) dating or uranium-lead dating, which help scientists determine the age of the eruption.
While ash layers in rock strata is also a useful method for studying volcanic eruptions, dating the igneous rocks directly is the most definitive way to determine when an ancient volcano erupted.
________ occurs when sediment is carried away while _______ occurs when rocks are broken down.
What is: Erosion; Weathering
Which two events occur over both short and long periods of time?
What are: Glaciers and Volcanoes
While hurricanes and floods happen quickly, they do not have long-term processes like glaciers and volcanoes do in shaping Earth's surface over millions of years.
What is the driving force for the rock and life cycles?
What is: Energy
This theory is based on the assumption that today's processes are the same today as they were back then.
What is: uniformitarianism
What does this image show?
What is: Deformation
this is when tectonic plate movements force rock to move, causing a change in its shape or direction.
The "calendar" for Earth's major historical events is known as what?
What is: the geologic time scale
______ is based on the idea that in undisturbed rock, the layers at the bottom are older than the layers at the top.
What is: fossil record
Which of the following contains an example of a chemical change created by the rock cycle?
A. Turning an igneous rock into a metamorphic rock
B. The eruption of a volcano
C. The changing of the seasons
D. The weathering and erosion of a landform by water and wind.
What is: A. Turning an igneous rock into a metamorphic rock.
A chemical change in the rock cycle occurs when the minerals in a rock undergo a transformation due to heat and pressure, which happens when an igneous rock turns into a metamorphic rock. This process recrystallizes minerals and forms new ones, permanently altering the rock’s composition.
The formation of earthquakes and volcanoes are most likely a result of what?
What is: a continental drift
Continental drift refers to the movement of Earth's continents over time due to the motion of tectonic plates. As these plates move, they interact with each other at boundaries, which can lead to:
Earthquakes, when plates grind past each other or collide.
Volcanoes, when plates pull apart or one plate is forced beneath another (subduction zones).
While oceans getting bigger or smaller can also occur due to plate movements (e.g., seafloor spreading), EQ and V forming is more directly related to the processes that occur because of continental drift.
Changes in the landscape that are primarily from sudden and violent events are called this.
What is: Catastrophism
A super continent which was made up of all of today's continents is known as this.
What is: PANGAEA!!
Pangaea existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, around 335 to 175 million years ago. It was a single massive landmass that eventually broke apart due to the movement of tectonic plates, leading to the formation of the continents we have today.
What is: Since the bird lived after the fish, the approximate time the bird lived can be learned.
According to the Law of Superposition, older rock layers (and the fossils within them) are found beneath younger layers. Since the index fossil of the fish was found below the newly discovered bird fossil, the fish lived before the bird. If the fish is an index fossil, scientists can use its known time period to estimate when the bird lived.
Which is a physical change created by the life cycle?
A. Rocks being worn down by running water.
B. Rabbits' fur turning white in winter months.
C. Plants producing oxygen as a result of photosynthesis.
D. Weather patterns changing as the seasons change.
What is: B. Rabbits' fur turning white in winter months.
A physical change is a change in appearance or state that does not alter the substance itself. When a rabbit's fur changes color in winter, its fur pigment is affected, but the fur itself remains the same material. This is a physical adaptation to seasonal changes, helping the rabbit blend into its environment.
__________ is known as occurring when two oceanic plates move away from each other.
What is: seafloor spreading
Over millions of years, glaciers have advanced and retreated as the Earth cooled and warmed. All of this movement created scratch marks, known as these, on top of the rocks the glaciers sat on.
What is: glacial striations