plate tectonics 6th - spokane public...

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Project GLAD East Whittier City School District

Karen Hernandez & Patty Dunn Adapted by Spokane Public Schools

Janet Jenkins, Sarah Dueweke

Plate Tectonics (6-8) Idea Pages

I. Unit Themes

Scientists have formed hypothesis about Earth’s layers through investigations using modern technology.

Plate tectonics accounts for important features of Earth's surface and major geologic events. The topography of the state of California has been formed through the interactions of

tectonic plates. Scientists study and monitor earthquakes and tsunamis to gain a better understanding of

ways to protect people and their possessions. Cross Cultural Theme

o Current major geologic events are affecting people’s lives around the world. o We can be involved in aiding people suffering from these disasters

II. Focus /Motivation

Big Book Observation Charts Inquiry chart Exploration Report Cognitive Content Dictionary Awards

III. Closure

Process charts Conference portfolios

IV. Science Concepts: California State 6th Grade Standards Focus on Earth Science Plate Tectonics and Earth's Structure 1. Plate tectonics accounts for important features of Earth's surface and major geologic events. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know evidence of plate tectonics is derived from the fit of the continents; the location of earthquakes, volcanoes, and mid-ocean ridges; and the distribution of fossils, rock types, and ancient climatic zones. b. Students know Earth is composed of several layers: a cold, brittle lithosphere; a hot, convecting mantle; and a dense, metallic core. c. Students know lithospheric plates the size of continents and oceans move at rates of centimeters per year in response to movements in the mantle.

Project GLAD Plate Tectonics (6) Idea Pages

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d. Students know that earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults and that volcanoes and fissures are locations where magma reaches the surface. e. Students know major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, result from plate motions. f. Students know how to explain major features of California geology (including mountains, faults, volcanoes) in terms of plate tectonics. g. Students know how to determine the epicenter of an earthquake and know that the effects of an earthquake on any region vary, depending on the size of the earthquake, the distance of the region from the epicenter, the local geology, and the type of construction in the region.

Shaping Earth's Surface 2. Topography is reshaped by the weathering of rock and soil and by the transportation and deposition of sediment. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know water running downhill is the dominant process in shaping the landscape, including California's landscape. b. Students know rivers and streams are dynamic systems that erode, transport sediment, change course, and flood their banks in natural and recurring patterns. c. Students know beaches are dynamic systems in which the sand is supplied by rivers and moved along the coast by the action of waves. d. Students know earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and floods change human and wildlife habitats.

Investigation and Experimentation 7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:

a. Develop a hypothesis. b. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers, balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and display data. c. Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the relationships between variables. d. Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations. e. Recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation. f. Read a topographic map and a geologic map for evidence provided on the maps and construct and interpret a simple scale map. g. Interpret events by sequence and time from natural phenomena (e.g., the relative ages of rocks and intrusions). h. Identify changes in natural phenomena over time without manipulating the phenomena (e.g., a tree limb, a grove of trees, a stream, a hill slope).

V. California State English Language Arts Standards

Reading


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2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials) Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They describe and connect the essential ideas, arguments, and perspectives of the text by using their knowledge of text structure, organization, and purpose. The selections in Recommended Literature, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. In addition, by grade eight, students read one million words annually on their own, including a good representation of grade-level-appropriate narrative and expository text (e.g., classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, online information). In grade six, students continue to make progress toward this goal.

Reading Structural Features of Informational Materials

2.1 Identify the structural features of popular media (e.g., newspapers, magazines, online information) and use the features to obtain information. 2.2 Analyze text that uses the compare-and-contrast organizational pattern. Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 2.3 Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other sources and related topics. 2.4 Clarify an understanding of texts by creating outlines, logical notes, summaries, or reports. 2.5 Follow multiple-step instructions for preparing applications (e.g., for a public library card, bank savings account, sports club, league membership). Expository Critique 2.6 Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an author’s conclusions. 2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations. 2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning, persuasion, and propaganda in text.

Writing 1.0 Writing Strategies Students write clear, coherent, and focused essays. The writing exhibits students' awareness of the audience and purpose. Essays contain formal introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions. Students progress through the stages of the writing process as needed.

1.2 Create multiple-paragraph expository compositions: a. Engage the interest of the reader and state a clear purpose. b. Develop the topic with supporting details and precise verbs, nouns, and adjectives to paint a visual image in the mind of the reader. c. Conclude with a detailed summary linked to the purpose of the composition. 1.3 Use a variety of effective and coherent organizational patterns, including comparison and contrast; organization by categories; and arrangement by spatial order, order of importance, or climactic order.

Research and Technology 1.4 Use organizational features of electronic text (e.g., bulletin boards, databases, keyword searches, e-mail addresses) to locate information.


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1.5 Compose documents with appropriate formatting by using word-processing skills and principles of design (e.g., margins, tabs, spacing, columns, page orientation).

Evaluation and Revision 1.6 Revise writing to improve the organization and consistency of ideas within and between paragraphs. 2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics) Students write narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive texts of at least 500 to 700 words in each genre. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English and the research, organizational, and drafting strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0.

Using the writing strategies of grade six outlined in Writing Standard 1.0, students: 2.2 Write expository compositions (e.g., description, explanation, comparison and contrast, problem and solution): a. State the thesis or purpose. b. Explain the situation. c. Follow an organizational pattern appropriate to the type of composition. d. Offer persuasive evidence to validate arguments and conclusions as needed. VI. English Language Development Standards (ELD) : Grades 6-8 LISTENING and SPEAKING B. • Demonstrates comprehension through non verbal responses

• Begins to speak 1 - 2 words • Independently uses common phrases (greetings, etc.) EI. • Speaks using inconsistent grammar

• Asks and answers simple questions • Restate and follow multi step directions • Restate simple main idea • Communicates basic needs • Prepares and delivers short presentation (groups and pairs)

I. • Listens and identifies key ideas; both verbally and non-verbally. (Main idea and details)

• Is understood when speaking, fairly consistent grammar • Actively participates (ask and answer) in social situations • Short presentation from variety of sources

EA. • Does all of above in expanded form • Speaks appropriately to purpose • Uses idioms and figurative language A. • Does all of above - very expanded • Does all of the above across content areas READING Word Analysis

B. • Practice English phonemes EI. • Produce some English phonemes while orally reading own writing

• Recognize obvious cognates I. • Applies knowledge of common morphemes and phonemes A. • Uses knowledge of roots and affixes

FLUENCY and SYSTEMATIC VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT B. • Read aloud simple words in literature and content texts

• Responds with short answers in social/academic settings


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• Creates a simple dictionary • Simply retells stories verbally/non-verbally • Communicates basic needs

EI. • Uses background knowledge to predict meaning • Reads simple passages and paragraphs • Self-corrects some while reading aloud • Reads own writing with intonation • Uses standard dictionary

I. Covered in Listening and Speaking • Uses decoding, knowledge of vocabulary academic/social to read

• Recognizes words have multiple meanings EA. • Same as above - expanded

A. • Applies knowledge of multiple meanings • Same as above, expanded

READING COMPREHENSION B. • Reads and responds to text, directions verbally and non-verbally • Recognizes categories of common informational materials • Points out text features: titles, etc.

• Compare/contrast; fact/opinion and cause/effect using visuals and verbally

EI. • Same as above - expanded • Responds simply to a variety of texts

I. • Use of detailed sentences to respond to variety of texts, directions, or categories of informational materials

• Understands rhetoric of consumer materials EA. • Expanded A. • Expanded

WRITING

B. • Organize and list expository information: pictures, etc. • Create simple sentence with assistance • Write simple narrative, description, and compare/contrast • Uses writing process, basic • Completes basic business forms (name, phone #)

EI. • Uses common verbs, nouns and high frequency modifiers in simple sentences • Follows an outline to create paragraph • Increases writing in content areas • Collects information and takes notes • Expanded use of writing process and business forms

I. • As above - expanded • Investigate and research a topic in content area

EA. • Write in different genre: (plot, characters or thesis and support) • Expanded above

• Writes persuasive/expository/narrative and informational coherently & with detail • Writes responses to literature, develops thesis and supports with rhetorical devices

• Writes biographies and autobiographies WRITING CONVENTIONS

B. • Recognizes basic editing and revising EI. • Edits for basic conventions, revises with teacher assistance I. • Expanded editing and revising EA. • Uses expanded transitions

A. • Expanded editing and revising

READING - LITERARY RESPONSE AND ANALYSIS


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(covered in Reading Comprehension) B. • Role-play characters

• Uses visuals to identify characteristic of fiction, non-fiction, poetry EI. • Covered in Reading Comprehension

I. • Covered in Reading Comprehension EA. • Covered in Reading Comprehension

A. • Analyzes setting and its influence • Compare/contrast similar themes, authors, plots, etc. VIII. SKILLS – MATH/SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES (CALIFORNIA STANDARDS) MATH – GRADE 6/7

• Analyzes and use tables, graphs, and rules to solve problems involving rates and proportions • Computes and analyzes statistical measurements for data sets • Uses data samples of a population and describe the characteristics and limitations of the samples • Determines theoretical and experimental probabilities and use these to make predictions about events • Makes decisions about how to approach problems • Uses strategies, skills, and concepts in finding solutions • Move beyond a particular problem by generalizing to other situations

VII. Vocabulary Earth’s layers cold, brittle lithosphere hot, convecting mantle dense, metallic core lithospheric plates asthenosphere rock cycle interior compositions continental crust oceanic crust density magnetic field dynamic physical state depth Plate tectonics fit of the continents mid-oceanic ridges fossils ancient climatic zones subduction

Geologic events: plate motion Earthquakes volcanic eruptions mountain building uplift

Earthquakes faults fissures magma epicenter seismic waves

California geology: plate tectonics Mountains: subduction, convergent plate boundary, rifting, tension stress, volcanic mountains, Klamath Mnts. Mount Shasta, Cascade Range, Lassen Peak, Modoc Plateau, Sierra Nevada, Panamint Range, Peninsular Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Coastal Ranges, Valleys: Central Valley, Death Valley, Deserts: Mojave desert, Colorado Desert Faults: San Andreas fault: transform plate boundary, strike-slip fault Volcanoes: Lassen Peak, Mount Shasta


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Investigation and Experimentation hypothesis. collection of data display data graphs qualitative statements relationships between variables investigation written report evidence consistent topographic map geologic map scale map natural phenomena VIII. Resources

A. Text Book Glencoe Science. Focus On Earth Science

B. Internet sites

http://www.thetech.org http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/01424/types_of_earthquakes.htm (Types of earthquakes) http://library.thinkquest.org/17457/ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsanim/world.php (animation maps of earthquakes currently happening) (USGS: Science for a Changing World: Earthquake Hazards Program) http://www.shakeout.org/ (The Great California Shake-out) http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2314&from=rss_home ( Recovery Act Funds will upgrade earthquake monitoring) (USGS Advanced National Seismic System) http://bayquakealliance.org/lomaprieta/stories/ (2009 Bay Area Earth Quake) http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2009/us2009bjbn/#summary http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/index.php?region=Indonesia (Indonesian Earthquake summary) http://www.redcross.org (Red Cross Support) http://safe-t-proof.com/html/resources/facts_figures.html (Earthquake facts & figures) www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/volcanoes.htm

(Positive effects of volcanoes) http://www.unmuseum.org/geysers.htm

(causes & types of geysers & hotsprings) www.wikipedia.org

C. Nonfiction Literature Collier, Michael. A Land in Motion: California’s San Andreas Fault Darling, David. Could You Ever Dig a Hole to China?


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Downs, Sandra. Earth’s Fiery Fury Glencoe Science . Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Day of Destruction Hinshaw-Patent, Dorothy. Shaping the Earth Kovacs, Deborah. Dive to the Deep Ocean Lauber, Patricia. Volcano: the Erupting and Healing of Mount St. Helens Mallory, Kenneth. Diving to a Deep Sea Volcano Morris, Ann. Tsunami: Helping Each Other O’Neill Grace, Catherine. Forces of Nature (Fact Awards) Simon, Seymour. Earthquakes Triumph, Tsunami: Hope, Heroes and Incredible Stories of Survival Woods, Michael & Mary. Earthquakes

D. Fiction Literature

Buck, Pearl S. The Big Wave Kajikawa, Kimiko. Tsunami Scholastic. The Magic School Bus Blows It’s Top Scholastic. The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth Tanaka, Shelley. The Buried City of Pompeii

E. Magazines

Scientific American. Our Ever Changing Earth Readers Digest. Natural Disasters, 1996.

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Plate Tectonics (6) Planning Pages

I. Focus /Motivation Big Book (The Earth is Moving’ & Changing’; I Just Thought You Might Like to Know) Observation Charts (earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, faults, mid-oceanic ridges, tectonic

uplift, prediction devices, disaster relief) Inquiry chart (What do we know about the earth’s geologic structure and movements?) Exploration Report ( Key Idea: Geological evidence of plate movement) Cognitive Content Dictionary- Signal Word (Plate tectonics, lithosphere) Anticipation Guide Awards (Geologist fact awards, Tsunami Survival Stories, geologist bookmarks, geologist

notes, science pencils) Read Aloud

II. Input

Pictorial Input of the layers of the Earth & world’s plates Pictorial Input Map of California Geography Pictorial Input of earthquakes Graphic Organizer/time line of plate tectonic theory development & inventions Narrative input: Hill of Fire Read Alouds Expert Groups:

o Tsunami o Volcano o Hot Spots o Tectonic uplift

(Alternative study skill: Have students look for info. from books, periodicals, & online resources to sketch and record on a mind map the information they will need to teach for the process grid. Keep a bibliography) 6th Reading 2.1 & 2.3

III. Guided Oral Practice

Expert Groups Team tasks Poetry, chants, highlighting T-graph for social skills (Cooperation) Picture file cards Personal Interactions 10/2 negotiating for meaning with L1 – numbered heads together Mind maps Flex groups: ELD review Sentence Patterning Chart (Noun: plates)

Process Grid: Natural Phenomenon IV. Reading / Writing Activities

Project GLAD Plate Tectonics (6) Planning Pages

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A. Whole Class Shared Reading, Whole class graphic organizer: Earth’s Layers – Text

pp.102-105 Poetry Frame: Plates Here, Plates There Narrative Story Map

+ List sensory details and dialogue that developed the plot Cooperative Strip paragraph

2.2 Write expository compositions a. State the thesis or purpose. b. Explain the situation. c. Follow an organizational pattern appropriate to the type of composition. d. Offer persuasive evidence to validate arguments and conclusions as needed

Group Frame for ELD: student generated text

B. Small Group/Cooperative practice team graphic organizer : Interactions at plate boundaries text pp. 215-221 Team tasks Process Grid Partner focused reading Ear-to-ear reading Team writer’s workshop Observation charts Flexible groupings: leveled and heterogeneous

B. Individual

Graphic organizer –Hazards of Volcanic Eruptions: text pp. 313-317 Individual tasks Interactive Journals Learning logs Home/school connections Letter to parents Writer’s Workshop

V. Extended Activities for Integration

Listen & Sketch Analysis of earthquake intensity and effects around the world Investigations of current daily earthquakes using internet

VI. Closure

Process charts and inquiry Graffiti Wall-student generated text Assess learning logs: on-going Individual portfolios Three pieces of writing: expository, narrative, and poetry Personal exploration with rubric Class/team big books

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Plate Tectonics (6) Sample Daily Lesson Plan

DAY 1

FOCUS/MOTIVATION Set Standards – Geologist Awards Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word Observation charts Inquiry Chart

- L1 Inquiry Chart Big Book

- Personal Interaction: Have you ever experienced an Earthquake? Portfolios Anticipation Guide

INPUT Pictorial Inputs of the layers of the Earth & Tectonic plates – Living Wall

- L1 groups – 10/2 lecture - Learning Log - ELD review

GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE • Chant • T-graph - Cooperation • Picture file cards - Free exploration - Classify/categorize (list, group, label) - Exploration Report ( Key Idea: Geological evidence of plate movement)

INPUT Pictorial input of earthquakes

- L1 groups – 10/2 lecture - Learning Log - ELD review

GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE • Chant

READING/WRITING • Interactive Journal

CLOSURE • Process Inquiry Chart • Home/School Connection: Survey: the causes of earthquakes and any experiences


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DAY 2 FOCUS/MOTIVATION • Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word • Process Home/School Connection • Read aloud • Review with word cards - Layers & Tectonic Plates - Earthquakes GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE • Chants/Poetry – highlight, add sketches and picture file cards

READING/WRITING • Whole class graphic organizer: Earth’s Layers – Text pp.102-105

INPUT Pictorial Input Map of California Geography

- 10/2 Lecture - Paraprofessional – L1 groups - Learning Log (sketch and write) - ELD Review

GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE

• Chants– highlight, add sketches and picture file cards

INPUT Narrative input: Hill of Fire

- Personal Interaction: How would you react in Dionisio’s situation?

READING/WRITING Flexible Group Reading

• Expert Group - Team Tasks

• Writer’s Workshop - Mini Lesson - Write

- Author’s Chair CLOSURE • Process Inquiry Chart • Home/School Connection: Explain California’s plate boundaries + attitude survey


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DAY 3 FOCUS/MOTIVATION • Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word • Process Home/School Connection • Chants • Read aloud

INPUT Review Pictorial Input Map of California Geography

• Review Narrative with word cards & conversation bubbles GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE

• Chants– highlight, add sketches and picture file cards Sentence Patterning Chart (Farmer-in-the-Dell) – Noun: Plates

- Reading - Trading Game - Flip Chant

READING/WRITING • Expert Group - Team Tasks

GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE • Mind Map - Earthquakes • Process Grid Game

READING/WRITING • Coop strip paragraph – respond/revise/edit

• Interactive Journal

CLOSURE • Process inquiry chart • Home/School Connection: retell the narrative: Hill of Fire


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DAY 4 FOCUS/MOTIVATION • Cognitive Content Dictionary with “stumper word”, student selected vocabulary • Share Home/School Connection

• Re-read Big Book • Read aloud

GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE • Story Map with Narrative

• Chants– highlight, add sketches and picture file cards

READING/WRITING • Team graphic organizer : Interactions at plate boundaries text pp. 215-221 • Flexible reading groups

- Clunkers and Links with SQ3R (at or above) Text pp. 184-187 - ELD Group Frame - Story Retell (Narrative) • Team Tasks - Team Evaluation – oral • Writer’s Workshop

- Mini Lesson - Write - Author’s Chair • Memory Bank – Earthquake hazards & safety (Text pp. 274-278)

• Framed Poetry • Interactive Journal

CLOSURE • Process charts • Home/School Connection – Earthquake Safety Plan


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DAY 5 FOCUS/MOTIVATION • Cognitive Content Dictionary with “stumper word”, student selected vocabulary • Share Home/School Connection • Chants/Poetry GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE

• Chants– highlight, add sketches and picture file cards READING/WRITING • Listen and Sketch – Tsunami by Morris • Flexible Group Reading with Coop Strip Paragraph (struggling readers) - Team Tasks – written evaluations - Team presentations • Focused Reading with Personal Cognitive Content Dictionary • Ear to ear reading poetry booklet • Found Poetry: Types of volcanoes - Text p 304-305

• Individual Graphic organizer –Hazards of Volcanic Eruptions: text pp. 313-317

CLOSURE • Where’s My Answer • Team Feud • Graffiti Wall • Process Inquiry Chart • Evaluate week • Letter home

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Big Book: (please note: Big book text is often typed small to not take up many pages, but when you make up your book, you need to change the fonts to make it big enough for students to read together. I recommend changing the page orientation to landscape and then using approximately the following font sizes: Title:88, repeated phrase:44, text:33)

The Earth is Moving & Changing

By: Karen Hernandez Repeated Phrase at the top of each page

The Earth is moving and changing! Repeated Phrase at the bottom of each page

I just thought you might like to know. Page 1 What is inside the Earth? What are the forces behind all the change? The basis for science is discovery based on what is actually observable.

But since humans have only sampled Earth’s deep interior up to 12 kilometers, geologists have to use indirect methods to hypothesize what Earth’s interior layers may be like.

Most of the evidence comes from observing geologic structures and activity on the surface of the Earth. Other evidence used to understand Earth’s interior structure comes from the study of seismic waves.

Through the scientific process, theories have been proposed about Earth’s interior and the

causes of change on the exterior. Page 2

Earth’s interior is made up of layers with different compositions. The temperature and pressure in these layers increases with the depth.

The inner core of our planet is believed to be a solid iron ball about as hot as the surface of the sun. It is pressed into a dense solid state by tremendous pressure.

High temperatures with slightly less pressure seem to cause the metallic elements of the outer core’s metal to be molten.

Scientists call the thick middle layer of the Earth the mantle. Even within the mantle, there are distinct layers ranging from partly melted convecting rock to a more brittle rock nearer the surface.

The thin, rocky, outer layer of the Earth is called the crust. By sampling the crust, geologists know with more certainty its composition, density, physical state, and convection tendencies.

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Page 3 Observation of the Earth’s continents and how they fit together started a scientists’ hypothesis

of continental drift in the early 1900’s.

Alfred Wegener supported his hypothesis that the continents had once been attached and were now drifting slowly apart with evidence through fossils, rock types, and ancient climatic zones.

Since then, technological advances, such as the GPS (Global Positioning System), sonar and deep sea drilling have helped scientist study the lithosphere, which is the upper mantle and the crust. They have used the evidence to develop new hypothesis for what is now called plate tectonics. Page 4

The Earth’s lithospheric plates are constantly moving and colliding at their boundaries, creating stresses that cause interesting geologic formations and catastrophic natural phenomenon.

Geologic formations at the boundaries in the sea are ocean trenches and mid ocean ridges.

Boundaries on the continents result in lithosphere being uplifted into mountain ranges and sinking to form rift valleys.

Dramatic movements between plates shake land during earthquakes, send molten lava out of volcanoes, and send humungous tsunamis onto the land. The results are destructive and deadly to the people living where these natural disasters occur.

Page 5

Within the state of California, lies a boundary between the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate. This transform boundary has shaped California’s topography through its strike-slip fault called the San Andreas Fault.

The Transverse Ranges and Coastal Ranges have formed as chunks of the lithosphere have been uplifted.

Humungous blocks of rock have dropped down, forming The Los Angeles Basin and San Francisco Bay.

The subduction and melting of the oceanic plate has formed the volcanic mountains of the

Cascade Range: Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak.

Page 6 Thanks to many years of research by dedicated scientists, we can now predict when a volcano

will blow its top.

Although we still can't predict when an earthquake will happen, we have learned much about earthquakes as well as the Earth itself from studying them.

Seismologists can determine the focus and epicenter of an earthquake through comparing

seismic waves recorded by seismographs.

The Richter Scale and Moment Magnitude Scale have been developed to describe an earthquake’s magnitude. The Mercalli Scale is used to describe its destructibility.

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Page 7 Architects have learned how to build flexible structures that can withstand the strong shaking

produced by earthquakes.

In poor underdeveloped countries, builders are limited to the materials they can afford and often can’t take advantage of this knowledge of earthquake safe construction. The destruction which occurs in those places is exponentially greater.

People who live in earthquake or tsunami zones are being educated as to the signs of these disasters and how to react to save their lives. Page 8

Earthquakes and tsunamis have destroyed whole regions and claimed countless lives, leaving devastation and despair. The economy of the affected region is often crushed and unable to support its citizens. Homeless people are left with the pain of having lost family members, yet they need to keep on living and rebuild their lives from nothing.

However, out of the midst of this hopelessness, rise incredible tales of survival and acts of

heroism and generosity. The rallying together of the world to help the victims has renewed faith and hope to many. Page 9

Someday you can go yourself to help or become a scientist to help discover ways to predict and warn people of destructive phenomenon.

You can make a difference where you are right now by donating to organizations which send food, water, medical supplies and workers to help in the tremendous task of rebuilding lives.

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Team Big Book Page

The Earth is moving and changing!

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

We just thought you might like to know.

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Name: _________________________

Plate Tectonics Anticipation/Prediction Guide

Read the following statements and use your prior knowledge to respond whether you think each is true or false. As you learn more information, record the page number from your text that verifies the validity or invalidity of the statement.

True False Statement Page

1. Scientists know exactly what the composition is of each layer of Earth’s interior.

2. Matter and energy move from Earth’s interior toward the surface.

3. There is one type of crust near Earth’s surface, and it is found on the continents.

4. Most Earthquakes occur in the middle of lithospheric plates.

5. A magnitude ‐4 earthquake releases about twice as much energy as a magnitude 3 earthquake.

6. Subduction occurs when oceanic and continental lithospheric plates move toward each other.

7. Faults are surfaces where rocks break and move.

8. Tsunamis are huge tidal waves

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&&

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Plate Tectonics Sound off By Karen Hernandez

Earth is made of lithospheric plates, Constantly moving at a very slow rate. Plates in the ocean, and plates on the land. Shakin’ up the water, and shifting the sand.

Sound off… earth’s crust Sound off… geological features Sound off… 1,2,3,4’: plate tectonics!

Divergent boundaries, where plates move apart, Giving many mid ocean ridges a start. Divergent on the land, continental rifting, Causes rift valleys from the shifting.

Sound off… earth’s crust Sound off… geologic features Sound off… 1,2,3,4’: plate tectonics!

Convergent boundaries are where plates collide, Compression to mountains or subduction side. Magma can bubble up and volcanoes grow, Like the islands of Hawaii we know.


When moving plates slide, it creates a big shock, To shake up a region and change the rock. Seismologists track this movement on charts, Recording where the earthquake starts.


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I’m A Fault (To the tune of “I’m a Little Piece of Tin”) by Melissa Alexander and Theresa Watters

I’m a fault, they call me spreading zone, Bottom of the ocean is mostly my home. I happen when two plates separate, Magma might come and then life’s great.

I’m a fault (shake shake) I’m a fault (quake quake) I’m a spreading zone fault.

I’m a fracture zone fault. Pressure builds up and I can’t halt. One plate will move forward or back, The earth’s gonna move, so watch out Jack!

I’m a fault (shake shake) I’m a fault (quake quake) I’m a fracture zone fault.

I’m a fault, I’m convergent A. I form new mountains, don’t stand in my way! I push up against a fault friend of mine, I push on past and I’m first in line.

I’m a fault (shake shake) I’m a fault (quake quake) I’m a convergent A fault.

I’m a fault, I’m convergent B. I make the mountain ranges that you see. When two plates crash there’s no place to go, So up we go but magma won’t flow.

I’m a fault (shake shake) I’m a fault (quake quake) I’m a convergent B fault.

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Mt. St. Helens (To the tune of “Oh Susanna”)

by Theresa Watters and Melissa Alexander)

In May of 1980 Mt. St. Helens blew her top, Through earthquakes and explosions That they thought would never stop. It started back in March With a rumble here and there, A little spew of gas That clogged up all the air. ***CHORUS*** (To be sung after every 2 stanzas) Oh St. Helens, In 1980 you blew, With earthquakes and explosions And an avalanche or two.

************ By May there were new craters And a bulge on her north side, It was filled with molten lava And the rodents all did hide. At 8:32 on May 18th The mountain went into shock, Phase 1 the earthquake avalanched The bulging face of rock.

***CHORUS*** Pressure had built for many years Out the north side came phase 2, The “stone wind” leveled the mountainside When St. Helens sneezed, achoo! New lava traveled down the mount At 100 miles per hour, Mudflow destroyed another route Wiping out the trees and flowers. ***CHORUS*** By 5 p.m. most things were quiet, All forms of life were gone, More than 1000 ft. shorter Than when we woke at dawn. 2 decades after Helens blew Some forms of life are back, Plants, seeds, bugs and rodents Had survived her attack. ***CHORUS***

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Volcano Rap

Down deep within the mantle, brewing magma finds a crack, Its heat propels it upward, never looking back. A volcano is beginning, though we may not have a clue, Earthquakes may be rumbling, around the mountain too. A volcano has a magma chamber inside Where pressure builds and magma hides. Finally Magma needs a way to an outside hole, It travels through a vent that’s like a pole. Magma erupts through the vent, It gets to the surface and then it’s sent. During the eruption magma changes its name, Outside the earth it’s lava but it’s really still the same. Lava flows from a volcano and you can trust That lava will harden and form new crust In violent eruptions ash comes out, It’s bits of rock and lava the volcano spouts. After the eruption there may be a deep hollow, It’s called a crater and more eruptions may follow.

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Yes Ma’am: Earth’s Layers By Karen Hernandez

Does our Earth have layers? Yes Ma’am Does our Earth have layers? Yes Ma’am

How do you know? Through seismic waves How do you know? Waves show differences

Give me an example: different compositions Give me an example: different pressures Just one more example: different temperatures

Are you through? Yes Ma’am Did you tell me true? Yes Ma’am What did you chant? Earth’s layers! Do you know about the lithosphere? Yes Ma’am Do you know about the lithosphere? Yes Ma’am

What do you know? It’s rocky and brittle What do you know? It’s the crust and upper mantle

What’s its composition? Igneous & peridotite What’s its physical state? Solid and rigid What’s its depth? About 600 kilometers!

Are you through? Yes Ma’am Did you tell me true? Yes Ma’am What did you chant? The lithosphere! (Teams write verses of this chant for the other layers of the Earth.)

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Earth’s Simple Layers Inner core, outer core, mantle, crust,

The scientific method is a must!

Rocks Everywhere!

Rocks here, rocks there, Rocks, rocks everywhere!

Igneous rocks moving well,

Sedimentary rocks uplifting dramatically, Metamorphic rocks pressing slowly, And melted rocks spurting quickly.

Rocks through the mantle, Rocks in the oceanic crust,

Rocks inside the lithosphere, And rocks outside of volcanoes.

Rocks here, rocks there,

Rocks, rocks everywhere!

By: Karen Hernandez

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I’m a Geologist I’m a geologist and I’m here to say I study the changing earth every day, Sometimes I write a paper, Sometimes I read a book, But, I’m usually outside to take a look. Digging up rocks, analyzing too, Doing the geologist, Bugaloo! Studying the forces that shape the earth, Analyzing rocks for clues of its birth, From caves beneath the surface to mountainsides, Mapping where different rocks are found, worldwide. Digging up rocks, analyzing too, Doing the geologist, Bugaloo!

By Susan McCoy

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I Know the Changing Earth Adapted from David Greenberg By Susan McCoy

I know the changing earth. The thunderous roar of the wind, Rumbling flowing rivers carving canyons, Volcanoes erupting in the distance. I know the changing earth. Sulfuric gases rising from volcanoes, The salty air of crashing waves, Dusty heat fills my lungs. I know the changing earth. The fiery heat of the lava, The giant shuddering jolt of earthquakes, Powerful pounding of ocean waves I know the changing earth. Immense glaciers of constantly moving ice, The wondrous landforms in the Colorado Desert, The awe-inspiring sight of an erupting volcano. I know the changing earth. “Did you know the Grand Canyon is one-mile deep? “Look at the towering peaks of that mountain!” “Look at the crashing waterfall.” (Use this poetry frame to write adapted poetry.)

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I Know the Changing Earth Adapted from Susan McCoy By ____________________

I know the changing earth.

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Narrative Input HILL OF FIRE

About sixty years ago, in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, something happened which had only happened once before in all of history. And the funny thing is, it happened to someone who was always complaining that nothing interesting ever happened in his little town.

A farmer named Dionisio lived with his wife and son in that town, and nearly everyday he went to his cornfield to work. At planting time he took his ox with him to plow the rocky soil to get it ready for sowing the corn. One afternoon when there was no school, the farmer’s son Pablo came to help him. As the ox was pulling the plow through the earth, the plow got stuck. The farmer yelled at the ox to pull harder, but the plow still didn't move. Dionisio and Pablo pushed together on the handle of the plow, but it went deeper and deeper into the ground. All of a sudden, the little hole the plow was stuck in began to get bigger, and there was a loud rumbling noise, and smoke shot up through the opening. “Run!” screamed the farmer to his son. As he and Pablo and the ox raced down the hillside, there was a loud CRACK and a BOOM as a crevice opened up, and the volcano known as Parícutin was born. When they reached the town plaza, Dionisio rang the churchbell, so that everyone would come out to see what was happening. The farmer pointed at where his field had been, and people stared in amazement at the flames erupting from the mouth of the volcano, the scalding lava streaming down its slopes, and the ash and cinders flying through the air. They watched all night as the volcano turned the hill to a mountain, and a river of molten rock flowed closer and closer to the town. Days later, when the noise and fires had died down somewhat, Dionisio and his family and neighbors returned from the surrounding countryside where they had gone to escape the danger. Half the town was completely buried by chunks of igneous rock expelled by the volcano. Soldiers arrived to evacuate the town, telling people they would have to start a new life somewhere else. For their own safety, they could not continue to live so close to an active volcano. Even though the place where they would build their new town was not so far from the old one, the only thing still visible was the church belltower, rising above the rockpile. So they started over. When they had finished building a new school, new homes, and a new marketplace, they celebrated with a fiesta, eating and drinking and singing and dancing as the volcano glowed in the night sky. After that, life went on pretty much as before. Farmers grew corn, women ground it into tortillas to feed their families, and people sold food and crafts in the marketplace. But the town now had something it had never had before: tourists. People came from miles around to see the volcano Parícutin and the destruction it had caused, and to hear the story from Dionisio, the man whose wish for something exciting to happen came true.

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By: Susan McCoy

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Natural Phenomenon Process Grid

Natural Phenomenon Definition & Causes

Location & examples

Effects on Civilization

Geological Effects Scientific Monitoring & Warning

Interesting facts

Earthquakes plates move faults

elastic stress compression

stress

edges of plates focus

epicenter fault zones Ring of fire

collapse of buildings & structures

deaths fires

continents move landslides

liquefaction tsunami

seismic waves (S,P)

seismograph Richter Scale

Mercalli Scale Moment magnitude

Earthquake safety

Tsunamis

undersea collapsing volcano

earthquakes earthslides

Edges of plates Pacific ring of fire

India

Deaths homelessness

Destroyed cities desease

None from waves Bottom pressure sensors

Tsunami Warning System

Coastal drawbacks

tidal wave Tsunami

means harbor wave

Volcanoes

Magma to surface Surface tension

subduction

edges of plates hot spots

ring of fire

Deadly Destroy habitat

Enrich soil Form minerals

Source of geothermal energy

Builds mountains Seafloor ridges

Islands calderas

active, intermittent, dormant, or extinct satellite imaging

predictable- gases, temperature, movement

Vulcano, an Italian island

Hot Spots

mantle plumes geothermal

system

plate boundaries plate interiors

every continent yellow Stone national Park

exciting to see medicinal

geothermal energy deadly gases

hot springs boiling springs

geysers fumeroles

sinter deposits

map fields electricity conducting

monitor gases

unique plants & animals

protected by law

Tectonic Uplift

elevation of land plate collision gradual uplift post-glacial

rebound

convergent boundaries

faults

move cities useful minerals &

rocks reveal history

mountains plateaus ridges

coral islands

Continuous heat energy

monitor uplift study layers

Causes of tectonics

theoretical analysis

numerical models

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Definition & Causes Location / Examples

Interesting Facts

Scientific Monitoring /Warning Effects on Civilization Phenomenon

Geological Effects

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Project GLAD Plate Tectonics (6) Expert Group #1

Tsunami

Interesting Facts

A tsunami is often misnamed a tidal wave, but in fact, a tsunami is not just one wave but usually a series of seven or eight, that have nothing to do with the tide. In the open ocean, tsunamis are only about one meter high, but as they approach shallower waters and the shore, they grow to heights as high as eighty-five meters. The term tsunami comes from the Japanese, meaning

"harbor" (tsu, 津) and "wave" (nami, 波).

Definition & Causes of a Tsunami

The most common causes of tsunamis are volcanoes, earthquakes and earth slides - mostly undersea. Volcanoes that have been erupting continuously for a long time have empty magma chambers. The roof then collapses forming a crater sometimes up to one kilometer in diameter. Water gushes into this crater in a very short amount of time, causing a tsunami. Earthquake originated tsunamis occur when portions of the Earth's crust on either side of a fault jolt past each other. For a tsunami to occur, however, there must be some kind of vertical movement along the fault. This vertical movement must be capable of displacing huge amounts of water, thus causing waves. Tsunamis can also be caused by land sliding in to the sea with such great force that it creates a wave, similar to the effect of throwing a pebble into a puddle of water.

Location of Tsunamis

About 80% of tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean, but are possible wherever there are large bodies of water, including lakes. Tsunamis usually only occur in coastal regions; islands are the main targets. The Pacific Ocean is surrounded by the Ring of Fire, a highly active volcano and earthquake zone. The Ring of Fire circles the ocean from Alaska down to the west coasts of North and South America and up along the east coast of Asia, taking in parts of China, Japan and Russia.

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"Imagine a flood of water swirling up the street, lifting cars and flinging them through flimsy buildings as it goes. Then imagine the buildings themselves being washed away, leaving behind little more than scattered rubble. This is a tsunami.” ( Natural Disasters, Readers Digest, 1996.) The effects of a Tsunami on any region vary, depend on its magnitude, the distance of the region from the epicenter, the local geology, and the type of construction in the region. The deadliest tsunami in history occurred on December 26, 2004. The series of waves left around 1,126,900 people homeless and killed more than 283, 000 people in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Thailand. The port town of Aonae on Okushiri Island was completely surrounded by a tsunami wall, but the waves washed right over the wall and destroyed all the wood-framed structures in the area. The village of Naluvedapathy in India's Tamil Nadu region suffered only minimal damage and few deaths because the wave broke against a forest of 80,244 trees planted along the shoreline in 2002 in a bid to enter the Guinness Book of Records.

Geological Effects

The geologic changes related to Tsunamis are the changes in the ocean floor due to volcanic and earthquake activities or landslides. The actual waves have not been recorded to have changed the geologic structure of the coastlines and islands that are affected.

Scientific Monitoring & Warning

A tsunami cannot be precisely predicted—even if the right magnitude of an earthquake occurs in the right location. Geologists, oceanographers, and seismologists analyze each earthquake and based upon many factors may or may not issue a tsunami warning. Computer models can predict tsunami arrival—predicted arrival times are usually within minutes of the actual time. Bottom pressure sensors relay information in real time and based upon the pressure readings and other seismic information and the seafloor's shape and coastal topography, the models estimate the amplitude and surge height of the approaching tsunami. All Pacific rim countries collaborate in the Tsunami Warning System and most regularly practice evacuation and other procedures. A tsunami warning system is currently being installed in the Indian Ocean.

People in tsunami warning areas can recognize the signs and warn others to head for higher land. Once the Tsunami reaches shore, the water moves back rapidly, exposing a large area of land that is normally under water. These drawbacks can serve as a brief warning. People who observe drawbacks can survive only if they immediately run for high ground or seek the upper floors of nearby buildings.

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Project GLAD

Plate Tectonics (6) Expert Group #2

Volcanoes

Definition & Causes of a Volcano

Heat from the interior of the Earth melts underground rock into magma. Magma is more buoyant than the surrounding rock and is forced to rise toward the surface of the lithosphere. This is called a mantle plume. When magma reaches the surface, it creates a hot spot that may escape through a volcano. When magma reaches earth's surface, it is called lava. It may pour out in gentle streams called lava flows or erupt violently into the air. A volcano constitutes of a vent, a pipe, a crater, and a cone. The vent is an opening at the Earth's surface. The pipe is a passageway in the volcano in which the magma rises through to the surface during an eruption. The crater is a bowl-shaped depression at the top of the volcano where volcanic materials like, ash, lava, and other pyroclastic materials are released. Solidified lava, ashes, and cinder form the cone. Layers of lava alternate with layers of ash to build the steep sided cone higher and higher. There are three main types of volcanoes.

Location of Volcanoes

The flow of heat from Earth’s interior, which causes volcanic action, is high at the boundaries of the lithospheric plates. 95% of the world’s active volcanoes occur along the Ring of Fire, a highly active volcano and earthquake zone caused by plate boundaries. About 1,000 live subduction volcanoes occur in this ring, and in any one-year, approximately 40 will be in some state of eruption. The location of volcanoes splits them into three groups: rift volcanoes, subduction volcanoes, and hot spot volcanoes. Rift volcanoes occur where the plates are moving away from each other. They fill the separations with lava flows, creating new sea floor and mountain ridges beneath the waves. Subduction volcanoes form where the plates collide and slide over each other, causing one to melt. They create ridges and peaks. Hot spot volcanoes are not at the plate boundaries and are thought to be caused by a narrow stream of hot mantle convecting up from the Earth’s interior.

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Volcanic eruptions can change human and wildlife habitats. Explosive eruptions cause a pyroclastic flow of hot gases and solids that burn and destroy wildlife and humans. Volcanic ash can spread through the air and destroy cities, bury living things, and contaminate water supplies. Gases released from the volcanoes can form acidic rain which is harmful to animals and vegetation.

Volcanoes are known for their violent eruptions and lava flows, but there are many benefits that volcanoes provide for society. Volcanoes help enrich soil for farming and in some cases provide reservoirs for the storage of ground water. Many valuable resources are formed in volcanoes such as sulfur, zinc, copper, and gold. Scientists have learned how to tap into the heat source they provide for geothermal power, which is an alternate energy source that is better for the environment. Volcanoes have even helped us understand past civilizations and cultures. The lava preserves fossils and artifacts that scientists can learn from.

Geological Effects

The Earth is full of geological marks made by volcanic activity. Composite volcanoes leave tall, majestic mountains like Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, and Vesuvius. Shield volcanoes can result in Islands such as Hawaii. Cinder cone volcanoes leave steep sided cone shaped platforms as evidence of their existence. When the top of a volcano collapses and becomes wedged into the empty magma chamber, the large sunken crater (called a caldera) can fill with water and form scenic lakes and landscapes. Crater Lake in California is an example.

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Scientists define volcanic activity by how often a volcano erupts. A volcano may be active, intermittent, dormant, or extinct. Active volcanoes erupt constantly. Intermittent volcanoes erupt fairly regularly. Dormant volcanoes are inactive, but not long enough to determine whether they will erupt again or not. Extinct volcanoes have been inactive since the beginning of recorded history.

Volcanoes usually show signs of activity before they erupt, allowing scientists to warn people in the surrounding region to evacuate. Small earthquakes, changes in the emission of gases, and changes in ground movement and temperature of the surface give clues to a coming eruption. Scientists can also monitor volcanic activity from space using satellite imaging which reveals even small changes in the surface of a volcano.

Interesting Facts

The volcano is named after Vulcano, an Italian island north of Sicily. There, a volcano has been active for thousands of years and the ancient Romans named their god of fire, Vulcan, after it.

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Project GLAD Plate Tectonics (6) Expert Group #3 Geothermal Fields

Definition & Cause of geothermal fields

If the conditions are just right, geothermal fields can occur over a mantle plume, which is an unusually hot area of the mantle rising to Earth’s surface. Geothermal water starts as rain water, which seeps down through cracks in the rock towards a heat source deep within the earth. Hot water is less dense than cold water, so it rises and emerges at the earth’s surface, sometimes as steam or mixed with steam. The hot water reacts with the rock it comes into contact with, and becomes enriched with dissolved minerals. The bubbling water or steam we see is just the tip of a column or tongue of hot water that may extend for hundreds or thousands of meters below the ground. This is known as a geothermal system.

Geological effects of geothermal fields

Hot Springs & Boiling Springs When you see a very clear, boiling spring, you are looking at water from deep in the

geothermal reservoir, freshly arrived at the earth’s surface after its journey up through the heated rock below. They are far too hot for bathing, and need to be cooled by trickling over cool ground, or dilution with cold water. Other springs are just right to sit in for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Geysers

Geysers are a special class of boiling spring. They occur when underground water cannot discharge freely, but is forced through a narrow neck or opening from a larger reservoir below. The water pressure builds up, and the superheated mixture of water and steam erupts. Geysers are some of the most unusual geologic phenomena in the world. They are incredible natural fountains that can shoot boiling hot water and steam hundreds of feet into the sky in violent eruptions. While most geyser eruptions last only a few minutes, some last for days. Some geysers almost never stop. Others erupt violently, and then stay dormant for years or even decades. Geysers are rare; there are less than 700 known geysers in the world.

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Fumaroles

If there is heat, but not enough water in the underground reservoir, a fumerole appears. A fumarole is a steam vent. There is so little water in this type of hot spring that while coming to the surface it boils away, and all that you see is a hole in the ground with steam coming out of it, often accompanied by a roaring or rushing sound. Fumaroles often have the smell of "rotten eggs" because small amounts of hydrogen sulfide get mixed in with the steam. A fumarole that comes up in a wet surface area can become a mud pot. Mud pots bubble, and can throw lumps of clay for some distance when they are active.

Sinter deposits

Sinter deposits are a characteristic feature of boiling springs. They are composed of almost pure silica, which is abundant in most rocks. When geothermal water pours out of a spring or geyser, it cools quickly, and starts to deposit some of the dissolved silica onto the nearest surface. Sinter deposits can take different shapes:

Small cones, resembling miniature volcanoes, can form around geyser vents. Terraces form when the discharge from a hot spring flows over a suitably sloping surface.

Location of geothermal fields

Geothermal fields exist on every continent in the world except Antarctica. They occur at the boundaries of lithospheric plates or above hot spots in the mantle. The most active field is Yellowstone National Park in the United States, which is home to more than half of the geysers on the planet!


All over the world, geothermal areas are exciting for tourists to visit and scientists to study. Geothermal power plants tap into the heat as an alternative form of energy. Some hot springs are used for relaxation and medicinal purposes. However, people who live in these geothermal fields can be adversely affected. The gases carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are emitted and can accumulate to deadly concentrations. In built-up areas, much of the ground is covered with roads, car parks, pavements and buildings. Unable to escape through these structures, the gases are channeled under the surface to emerge wherever they can. One study of buildings in a geothermal area found that geothermal gases were seeping through cracks in floors, walls and floor boards.

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Because geothermal waters contain lots of minerals, they conduct electricity better than other underground water. Scientists can map geothermal fields by making a resistivity survey – measuring how well electricity is conducted through the ground. When dangerous concentrations of gases are found to be present through monitoring of chemicals, areas are declared uninhabitable.

Interesting Facts

Geothermal areas are more than just rocks, minerals and hot water. They are also home to unique and remarkable plants, animals and micro-organisms. Geothermal ecosystems are protected by law because they are so rare and easily damaged. There is also strong – and growing – scientific interest in how inhabitants of geothermal areas adapt to living in some of the most extreme conditions on earth.

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Project GLAD Plate Tectonics (6) Expert Group #4 Tectonic Uplift

Definition & Causes of Tectonic Uplift

Tectonic uplift is a geological process which increases the elevation of land. The opposite of uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation. Uplift may be orogenic or isostatic. Orogenic uplift is the result of tectonic plate collisions. It can result in mountain ranges or be a more modest uplift over a large region, forming a plateau. Isostatic uplift can be a gradual uplift following rapid erosion from a mountain range. The land rises as a result of the removal of the weight. Another example of isostatic uplift is post-glacial rebound following the melting of continental glaciers and ice sheets.

Location of Tectonic Uplift

Tectonic uplift is common all over the world at convergent boundaries of tectonic plates as well as along smaller faults. The Himalayan mountain range is still rising due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian Plates. This same converging boundary produced the Tibetan Plateau and other ranges. On the North American Continent, the Great Lakes of Canada and the United States are undergoing gradual rebound as a result of the melting of the ice sheets 10,000 years ago. Another area of uplift is the Llano Uplift in Texas, a geographical location named after its uplift features.


Uplift has affected people in various ways. Throughout history, people have used mountains as a protection against enemies, dividing countries and cultures. Some of the Indus cities in Pakistan which used to be seaports were affected adversely by tectonic uplift on a grand scale. Harappan seaports along the Makran coast, are now as far as 50 km inland. These displaced ports make it evident that the coastline of Pakistan has risen considerably during the past 4,000 years. The uplift of the lithosphere has also made minerals and rocks from different layers available for our use. Geologists use the information that is revealed through fossils and rock layers to make hypothesis about the Earth’s past.

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Geological Effects

Besides large scale formations like mountains and plateaus, there are many geological examples of tectonic uplift. It can be seen by the presence of various oceanic islands composed entirely of coral, which otherwise appear to be high islands. The uplift of these islands is the result of the movement of oceanic tectonic plates. Another example is a ridge, a geological landform that features a continuous elevational crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size.

Scientific Monitoring

Landforms might seem like permanent features, but landforms in your surroundings change continuously. Scientists can only record the activity of heat energy from the sun and from earth’s interior to explain the change in landscapes. There can be no warning of tectonic uplift that happens suddenly due to earthquakes, but scientists do study and record amounts of uplift in areas that are elevating gradually.

Interesting Facts

Scientific theories have been made concerning “acts of God”; but our understanding of the long term dynamics of the Earth’s topography is based mainly on the results of theoretical analysis and numerical models for which little evidence exists to validate macroscopic evolution, and the characteristics of simulated topographies.

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Name: ___________________________

Memory Bank _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

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Project GLAD Plate Tectonics (6)

Home/School Connection #1

Tell a parent or caregiver what you learned about the causes of earthquakes. Sketch below what you are describing. Ask him or her to tell you about any experiences that he or she has had with earthquakes.

Describe a un padre u otro adulto sobre lo que aprendiste de las causas de terremotos. Traza abajo mientras que describes. Pide que el te diga sobre alguna experiencia que ha tenido con terremotos.

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Student Signature Parent or Caregiver Signature

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Sketch and tell to a parent or caregiver what you learned about how tectonic plate boundaries effect California’s geography. Take a survey of 5 family members or friends that measures their attitude about living in a seismically active state. Traza y describe a un padre u otro adulto lo que aprendiste sobre como las fronteras de las placas tectónicas afectan a la geografía de California. Toma una enquesta de 5 personas para medir su actitud de como vivir en esta zona sismica.

How do you feel about living in a seismically active state where earthquakes are always a possibility? Name Attitude

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_________________________________ _________________________________ Student Signature Parent or Caregiver Signature

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Tell a parent or adult caregiver about the narrative, Hill of Fire. What was his or her reaction? Narra a un padre u otro adulto la historia, Hill of Fire. ¿Cuál fue su reacción?


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Tell to an adult or caregiver what you learned about earthquake hazards and safety. Using this page, plan together an earthquake safety plan for your family.

Write guidelines for what people in your house should do during an earthquake:

Based on the structure of your house, what are the safest locations?

What potential Hazards in and around your house should you check for after an earthquake occurs? What items would be important in an earthquake supply kit for your home?


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Home/School Connection #4 (Spanish)

Describe a un padre u otro adulto lo que aprendiste sobre los peligros de terremotos y seguridad familiar. Usando este página, haga un plan de seguridad para tu familia.

Escribe un plan de acción para tu familia en caso de un terremoto.

Basada en la estructura de tu casa, cuales lugares serán más seguros?

¿Cuales peligros potenciales adentro y alrededor de tu casa deben de revisar despues de que ocurre un terremoto? ¿Cuál conjunto de articulos serán importantes tener para tu familia en caso de un terremoto?


plate tectonics 6th - spokane public...

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