The Rocks Tell Stories

Zuri and Tony are curious about how smaller particles come together to form larger objects in space. Can you help them by identifying this process?

• accretion

• contraction

• explosion

• rotation

Answer explanation

Smaller particles coming together to form larger objects is known as accretion, making it the correct choice.

Imagine Orion and Mila are on a space adventure! During the formation of Earth, what force causes small space rocks to be attracted to each other?

• gravitational forces

• light forces

• solar eclipses

• white dwarfs

Answer explanation

During the formation of Earth, small space rocks are attracted to each other by gravitational forces, which is the correct choice.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

During a fun science class, Orion asked, "How does the Earth cool?"

• from the inside out.

• the outside in.

Answer explanation

The Earth cools from the outside in, starting at the surface and radiating heat outwards into space.

Hey Akash, Josephine, and Maisie! Do you know how cyanobacteria made a big splash on Earth?

• It put oxygen into the atmosphere

• It put water into the oceans

• It converted sulfur to other elements

• It killed toxic life forms

Answer explanation

Cyanobacteria changed Earth by putting oxygen into the atmosphere, making it the correct answer choice.

Hey Maisie and Akash, why do you think scientists study meteorites to uncover the age of the Earth? Choose more than one right answer.

• Meteorites have been floating unchanged in space since the solar system was formed.

• Because meteorites have growth rings just like trees do.

• Because meteorites are made of nickel and iron just like the center of the Earth.

• The Earth has been constantly changing since it first started to form, so there are no original rocks from the time it was born.

Answer explanation

Meteorites have been floating unchanged in space since the solar system was formed and the Earth has been constantly changing, so there are no original rocks from its birth.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-6

Nikolai and Sofia were having a fun debate about the history of our planet. Can you help them settle it? The oceans were formed early in the life of the earth. They formed about __________________________.

• 26 million years ago.

• 200,000 years ago.

• 4.3 billion years ago.

• the same time that the dinosaurs walked the Earth.

Answer explanation

The oceans were formed about 4.3 billion years ago, early in the life of the earth, making this the correct choice.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Eli and Maisie are curious: Where did the ocean water come from?

• Volcanoes spitting out steam and poisonous gasses.

• Rain clouds.

• Rivers.

• Outer space. The water was trapped inside meteorites.

Answer explanation

Outer space. The water was trapped inside meteorites.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Hey class! Marco and Mila were debating an interesting question: Where did the building blocks of life come from?

• Scientists found that meteorites also contained amino acids, which are the building blocks of life.

• Pools of hot bubbly sludge.

• Lightning strikes changed mud into amino acids.

• Volcanoes modified some of the rock in the Earth so that amino acids could form.

Answer explanation

Scientists found that meteorites also contained amino acids, which are the building blocks of life.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-6

NGSS.HS-LS1-6

Akash and Sofia were discussing the early Earth's atmosphere, which was poisonous to life as we know it now. Akash asked, 'If that was the case, where did the oxygen in our atmosphere come from?' Can you help them figure it out?

• Everyone knows oxygen comes from trees!!

• Oxygen formed as a by-product of cyanobacteria which lived 3.5 billion years ago in formations called stromatolites.

• Oxygen is a by-product of volcanic activity.

• Oxygen came from meteorites.

Answer explanation

Oxygen formed as a by-product of cyanobacteria which lived 3.5 billion years ago in formations called stromatolites.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-6

NGSS.HS-ESS2-7

During a fun beach trip, Tony, Sofia, and Orion noticed a rock cliff breaking down into sand-sized sediment. Which process is mostly responsible for this transformation?

• faulting

• weathering

• precipitation

• metamorphosis

Answer explanation

Weathering is mostly responsible for the breaking down of the rock cliff into sand-sized sediment.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2