Name: ______Date: ______

Period #: ______

The Changing Earth Study Guide

  1. Define weathering. What are the two types of weathering? Define each.

2. Define erosion. What type of “particles” erode fastest? What type erode the slowest?

  1. Give 4 examples of erosion. Be sure to include what causes it and how it occurs.
  1. List 6 types of mechanical weathering and explain how each can cause weathering.
  1. List 3 types of chemical weathering and explain how each causes weathering.
  1. What climate would most mechanical weathering occur in and why? What climate would most chemical weathering occur in and why?
  1. What is a glacier? How could it cause weathering and erosion? Explain.
  1. How could a large rock be in an area surrounded by nothing? How could it have gotten there? Explain.

Rocks and Minerals:

  1. Explain how a sedimentary rock is formed. What is it formed from? What processes allow it to turn into a sedimentary rock?
  1. How does a sedimentary rock turn into a metamorphic rock? (Think about your crayon model).
  1. How can an igneous rock turn into a metamorphic rock? Explain.
  1. How can an igneous rock turn into a sedimentary rock? Explain.
  1. What is magma? When it cools, which type of rock does it generally form into?
  1. Which type of rock typically contains fossils? What of the organism is generally preserved as a fossil?

15. Define compaction (lithification). Which type of rock does it generally form?

  1. If you were given two minerals, what are some characteristics you could use to tell the difference between them? Explain in DETAIL!
  1. Which type of rock is more common on Earth’s surface than the others? Why? Explain!

Geologic Time:

  1. What is an index fossil? How do they help scientists date rocks?

19. How has the Earth and life on it changed since the beginning of our solar system until now? Explain using evidence.

20. How are the first organisms on Earth different from current organisms? How did the environment on Earth influence these changes? Explain.

21. What are the differences between uniformitarianism and catastrophism? Explain how they both have shaped Earth.

22. List examples for uniformitarianism and catastrophism.

23. Explain the law of superposition as it relates to the picture below. Be sure to use details and vocabulary from the unit.