UNIT GOAL: IN THIS SCIENCE UNIT, YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT THE FEATURES,

PROCESSES, AND CHANGES IN EARTH’S LAND AND OCEANS.

Landforms and Oceans Unit

Natural Processes Affect the Earth

MAIN IDEA: EARTH’S OCEANS AND LAND CAN BE AFFECTED IN

CONSTRUCTIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAYS BY NATURAL PROCESSES.

Lesson 1

Ways Earth Can be Affected

Constructive (processes that CREATE

landforms)

Destructive(processes that DESTROY

landforms)

deposition weathering

landslides (creates and destroys) erosion

volcanic eruptions (creates and destroys) earthquakes

floods (creates and destroys) landslides (creates and destroys)

volcanic eruptions (creates and destroys)

floods (creates and destroys)

weathering

deposition

landslide

erosion

Natural Process

Weathering• Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks at or near the surface of the earth.

• This makes the surface of the earth dissolve, decompose, and break into smaller pieces.

• Water is an important cause of weathering.

• Plants cause weathering when roots break apart rock..

• Weathering can be either physical or chemical.

• Changes in temperature can break rock (even ice forming inside cracks).

Weathering

Natural Process

Erosion

•Erosion is the movement of sediments and soil by:

• Wind

• Water

• Ice

• and gravity

Erosion

Natural Process

Deposition• Deposition is the dropping (or depositing) of sediments by water, wind, or ice.

• Deposition builds up new land on Earth’s surface (such as a pile up of sand dune in the desert)

• Shells on the beach are deposition by ocean waves.

Deposition

Natural Process

Landslides

• Landslides are mass (very large) movements of land due to gravity.

• They can cause buildings to fall, or power and gas lines to break.

• Landslides even occur on the continental slope in the ocean!

Landslides

Natural Process

Volcanic Eruptions• Volcanoes are mountains with openings in Earth’s crust through which

• Magma• Gases

• and ash reach Earth’s surface.

• Volcanoes can change Earth’s surface.

• When magma erupts from the volcano the op of the mountain can be changed (either built up or exploded off).

• The lava and ash can destroy forests and bury fields.

• Volcanic eruptions can even change Earths’ weather patterns.

• Eruptions also occur under the oceans – when they are built up, they are call seamounts.

Volcanic Eruptions

Natural Process

Floods• Foods occur when a large amount of water covers land that is usually dry.

• Rapid erosion can take place and move soil and sediments away.

• When the flood recedes, new sediment is left behind and can build up rich soil deposits.

Floods

Quiz Time

Do YOU know your natural processes? We shall soon

see!

NATURAL PROCESSES QUIZ

I KNOW THIS THIS STUFF IS EASY

GIVE ME A HARDER

QUESTION

1

1

1

2

2

2

3

3

3

I KNOW THIS FOR 1

A landslide is a type of:

a.) flood

b.) constructive process

c.) erosion

d.) weathering process

YOU’VE GOT IT!

NOPE, TRY AGAIN!

THIS STUFF IS EASY FOR 1

A sand dune in the desert and shells on a beach are caused by:

a.) weathering

b.) erosion

c.) earthquakes

d.) deposition

MAYBE NEXT TIME!

I KNOW THIS FOR 2

The movement of sediments and soil by wind, water, ice, and gravity is:

a.) a type of flood

b.) an earthquake

c.) erosion

d.) a landslide

ALMOST HAD IT!

THIS STUFF IS EASY FOR 2

A ________ causes rapid erosion while moving

soil and sediments away.

a.) landslide

b.) volcanic eruption

c.) flood

d.) constructive process

WELL, TRY AGAIN!

GIVE ME A HARDER QUESTION FOR 1

Earth’s land and oceans can be affected by:

a.) constructive and destructive processes

b.) matter and antimatter

c.) radio and ultraviolent rays

d.) propaganda and author’s bias

YOU ALMOST HAD IT!

GIVE ME A HARDER QUESTION FOR 2

__________ can be physical or chemical.

a.) Erosion

b.) Weathering

c.) Landslides

d.) Constructive processes

NOPE, TRY AGAIN!

I KNOW THIS FOR 3

Vibrations on Earth’s surface are called:

a.) floods

b.) earthquakes

c.) weathering

d.) volcanic eruptions

NOT QUITE!

THIS STUFF IS EASY FOR 3

Deposition and floods are part of:

a.) weathering

b.) constructive processes

c.) erosion

d.) global warming

NOPE, TRY AGAIN!

GIVE ME A HARDER QUESTION FOR 3

Weathering, erosion, and earthquakes are all part of the __________ process.

a.) destructive

b.) deductive

c.) constructive

d.) inductive

NOPE, TRY AGAIN!