Science Station Earth Changes 2

Welcome! Today we will continue discussing the changes of Earth. Let’s begin by checking the activities you completed from our last lesson.

Review First of all, I asked you to predict what you thought caused the Earth to crack in this picture. Let’s see if you were correct.

Review - Activity 1 First of all, I asked you to predict what you thought caused the Earth to crack in this picture. Let’s see if you were correct. Earthquake!!!!!

Review – Activity 2 You were asked to cut out 5 pictures of what earth IS THOUGHT to have looked like as it changed over a long period of time. Then, you were supposed to put those pictures in order from longest ago to most recent. You should have written numbers on the back of the pictures to show the correct order. Let’s see how you did!

Review – Activity 2 1 st

Review – Activity 2 2 nd

Review – Activity 2 3 rd

Review – Activity 2 4 th

Review – Activity 2 5 th

Review – Activity 2 Now that you have these in the correct order, I would like for you to title page 38 in your science notebook: “Continental Drift” Then, glue the pictures on the page in order from 1 to 5. You should pause the video and come back when completed!

Earth Changes Great job! Now let’s continue discussing how Earth has changed. We already saw in a picture that Earth can change by splitting. An earthquake caused the split of Earth in the picture we saw! Why do you think an earthquake could change Earth?

Earthquakes First, let’s learn exactly what an earthquake is!

Earthquakes So now we know that Earth is made up of a lot of moving pieces called tectonic plates. Sometimes these plates get stuck and have a hard time moving. When this happens a lot of pressure builds up and the ground shakes until the pieces have passed each other.

Earthquakes Some earthquakes are stronger than others because the fault (or the break in the Earth’s crust) is bigger than others. Let’s look at a picture of some faults that we know are on Earth’s surface. The bigger ones would cause stronger earthquakes. Some faults are so small that the earthquake can hardly be felt.

Earthquakes

When the two sides of land at these faults rub together and get stuck, they push really hard on each other and the ground SHAKES causing the earth’s surface to change! Let’s see it!

Earthquakes Let’s watch one more video that explains earthquakes and can show us the effects that earthquakes have on Earth.

Earthquakes As you have seen, earthquakes can change what earth looks like! They can ruin ecosystems and make animals travel from one home to another. If ecosystems are ruined so much that animals have a hard time surviving, their species could become endangered or extinct.

Earthquakes In order to protect human life, scientists and builders are working together to build better and safer structures that will not be affected as much when an earthquake hits. Can you think of anything else that could change the surface of the Earth?

Erosion How about erosion? We already discussed erosion in a past unit. So you should already know what erosion is! Erosion is when pieces of Earth, like rock, break into smaller pieces. I would just like to remind you of how Earth’s surface can change because of erosion.

Erosion of Mountains Big pointy mountains break up and turn into flatter mountains.

Erosion of Beach Erosion of beaches cause land to wash away!

Earth Changes So far we have learned that Earth changes because of a lot of different reasons. Two reasons are earthquakes and erosions. Let’s learn about one more!

Landslides “Landslides take place when dirt, pebbles, rocks and boulders slide down a slope together. Sometimes these landslides are small, and hardly noticeable. Other times however, they can be substantial, involving the entire side of a mountain.” –kidsgeo.com

Landslides “These destructive slides can be triggered by a number of different causes. Often rain, which adds additional weight to the side of a slope can cause slides. Other times they might be caused by erosion, as the base of a slope is slowly removed by a stream, weakening the entire side of the mountain.” – kidsgeon.com

Landslides “As a slide progresses down a mountain slope, it can pick up tremendous speed, and energy. Some slides have been reported to travel at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour. The resulting winds can be so forceful, that they are known to strip the leaves off of surrounding trees.” – kidsgeo.com

Landslides “The amount of material moved in a landslide can be tremendous. In some cases this material is so substantial, that it is measured in cubic miles. This much material falling across a stream, can be the cause for the formation of a new natural lake.” – kidsgeo.com

Landslide Video

Landslides Now you know that landslides can change the surface of the Earth a great deal! Landslides can even create new natural lakes! Over many years, landslides have changed what Earth looks like over and over again.

Next Time Awesome work paying attention today! During our next lesson, we will review the information in this unit to prepare for our next test!