Changes to Earth’s Surface

Changes to Earth’s Surface: Interactive Notes ReadWorks Reading Today in Science Changes to Earth’s Surface: Interactive Notes ReadWorks Reading Standard Essential Question I can identify surface features on Earth caused by constructive and destructive processes. What causes changes to earth’s surface?

Let’s break it down… Earth’s SURFACE… What is Earth’s surface? Describe it to your neighbor.

What are surface features of the Earth? Turn and Talk… Make a list

Where do these surface features come from? Before we can talk about WHY these surface features came to be, we need to talk about what’s below the surface of the Earth.

Earth’s Layers & Plate Tectonics

Think – Write – Pair - Share Write for 3 minutes Based on what you saw in the video, why do we have certain landforms or features on Earth’s surface?

Faults Faults are cracks in Earth’s crust along which movement takes place. At a fault, rocks often bend and fold. Sometimes the rocks jam together eventually break. The plates shake and jolt into a new position. This sudden movement causes Earth’s crust to shake.

Review: 3 types of faults at plate boundaries.

Measuring the Movements of Earth As the crust shakes, it sends out shock waves of energy known as seismic waves. A seismograph has sensors that detect and measure vibrations of Earth’s crust. The seismograph produces a record of seismic waves called a seismogram.

The Richter Scale

Earthquakes Violent shaking of Earth’s crust. The release of built up energy along a fault is what makes Earth shake, or quake. Turn and talk: do you think scientists can control or predict earthquakes?

Tsunamis When earthquakes happen underwater, they can cause tsunamis. This happens when energy released by the earthquake is transferred to the water above it and creates waves that travel away from the area.

Tsunamis Tsunamis happen where the ocean meets the shore. Tsunami waves are longer than regular water waves, they carry more water, and create a lot of damage.

Volcanoes Volcanoes are sometimes called mountains of fire. A volcano is a break in Earth’s crust that lets magma come out from the mantle and onto Earth’s surface. Volcanoes can be found in the deep ocean and on Earth’s surface. Volcanoes show up on Earth’s surface where the magma can push through the weakness in the crust.

Magma Magma is the molten rock below Earth’s crust. When magma breaks the crust, it is called lava. Lava is thrown out by volcanoes. The islands of Hawaii are landforms created by magma.

Thinking about our learning… Complete the vocabulary portion of your Cornell notes. Once you have completed the vocabulary, begin writing your summary of today’s lesson. Due Friday: your summary of today’s lesson + ReadWorks passage