The Earth's surface is constantly changing. Some changes happen very slowly over long periods of time, such as weathering, erosion, and uplift. Other changes happen abruptly, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. All around us, we see the visible effects of the building up and breaking down of the Earth's surface.
Standard 2: Students will understand that volcanoes, earthquakes, uplift, weathering, and erosion reshape Earth's surface.
Objective 1: Describe how weathering and erosion change Earth’s surface.
Objective 2: Explain how volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplift affect Earth’s surface.
Objective 3: Relate the building up and breaking down of Earth’s surface over time to the various physical land features.
Standard 2: Students will understand that volcanoes, earthquakes, uplift, weathering, and erosion reshape Earth's surface.
Objective 1: Describe how weathering and erosion change Earth’s surface.
- Identify the objects, processes, or forces that weather and erode Earth’s surface (e.g., ice, plants, animals, abrasion, gravity, water, wind).
- Describe how geological features (e.g., valleys, canyons, buttes, arches) are changed through erosion (e.g., waves, wind, glaciers, gravity, running water).
- Explain the relationship between time and specific geological changes.
Objective 2: Explain how volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplift affect Earth’s surface.
- Identify specific geological features created by volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplift.
- Give examples of different landforms that are formed by volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplift (e.g., mountains, valleys, new lakes, canyons).
- Describe how volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplift change landforms.
- Cite examples of how technology is used to predict volcanoes and earthquakes.
Objective 3: Relate the building up and breaking down of Earth’s surface over time to the various physical land features.
- Explain how layers of exposed rock, such as those observed in the Grand Canyon, are the result of natural processes acting over long periods of time.
- Describe the role of deposition in the processes that change Earth’s surface.
- Use a time line to identify the sequence and time required for building and breaking down of geologic features on Earth.
- Describe and justify how the surface of Earth would appear if there were no mountain uplift, weathering, or erosion.