Earth History: Investigation 3

Two students are exploring a creek in their neighborhood. In one area, the creek has exposed a layer of shale. What kind of environment might have once existed here to create that rock layer? (Mark the one best answer.)

• A river

• A coral reef

• A swamp

• A sandy beach

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Continuing along the creek, they find some pieces of white sandy rock in the creek. They drip hydrochloric acid on that rock. The rock does not fizz. What processes likely formed the rocks in the creek?

• There is no process, rocks just appear

• The processes that formed the rocks are volcanoes

• The process that formed the rocks are chemical reactions and melting

• The processes that formed the rocks are deposition, cementation, and erosion because there was no chemical reaction (fizz)

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Which statement best describes the principle of uniformitarianism? (Mark the one best answer.)

• Deposition occurs faster today than it did in ancient environments.

• Rocks form by the same processes today as in the past

• Weathering and erosion can be fast or slow, depending on the type of rock.

• Earth’s geological features were formed by a few catastrophic events.

Why is uniformitarianism an important principle to consider when making inferences about how Earth’s geology has changed over millions of years? (be sure to restate and answer the question!)

• Uniformitarianism is about organisms wearing a uniform

• Uniformitarianism is about everything on the planet being exactly the same.

• Uniformitarianism is when someone clones all organisms to make them identical to all other organisms on the planet.

• Uniformitarianism says that the processes that shape Earth are the same throughout time. That means if we observe a process shaping Earth today, we can assume the same process shaped Earth in the past and will shape Earth in the future all over the planet and even on other planets.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

Some students wanted to investigate how five different sediments settled in a basin of water. They started with the basin flat on the table and added new sediments each day for three days. On the fourth day, they gently tilted the basin before adding the sediments for the last few days. (Note: The layer shaded gray represents the water.)

Which drawing best represents the basin layers and water at the end of their investigation? (Mark the one best answer.)

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

Examine the rock layers below. Label the oldest layers.

• Sandstone

• Shelly limestone

• Shale

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Examine the rock layers below. Label the youngest layers.

• Sandstone

• Shelly limestone

• Shale

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

The process in which pressure from other layers is applied to sediment and squeezes out water from between particles

• Cement

• Compaction

• Cementation

• Precipitate

Tiny shells from microscopic organisms (plankton), that form the soft watery mud at the bottom of a lake or sea

• Ooze

• Cement

• Cementation

• Precipitate

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The process in which cement is deposited in the spaces between particles of sediment

• Ooze

• Cement

• Cementation

• Precipitate