Saturday, November 15, 2014

Week of Dec. 8
The above image is a seismometer

The above wave image is seismogram - the image below shows seismic waves

The image below is the seismogram data of the 2011  - 9.0 earthquake in Japan (The seismic data shows the earthquake as an 8.9 - it was upgraded to a 9.0)


Earthquake Simulator Interactive



How Do We Know About the Layers of the Earth? 



Evidence!

1.  Earthquakes give off seismic waves that travel through the Earth
  • The speed and direction of the P and S waves change based on what type of material they pass through
  • P waves travel through BOTH solids and liquids, S waves only travel through solids - this tells us that the Earth's interior is both solid and liquid
  • Both P waves and S waves speed up in colder materials and slow down in hotter materials - this tells us that the Earth's layers have different temperatures
  • Seismic waves slow down in hotter, less dense material and speed up in colder, more dense material
2.  Our Magnetic Field
  • Since we have a magnetic field, the Inner Core has to be solid metal surrounded by liquid metal - Outer Core - and they have to be spinning in order to create the field
3.  Meteorites
  • Some rocky meteorites have the same composition of the Earth's crust and mantle
4.  Mantle Rock
  • Sometimes rock from the mantle are blasted out of a volcano - they show differences in density and composition compared to rocks from the crust

Let's Take A Look At Earthquakes!


1.  How Do Earthquakes Happen?



Anatomy of an Earthquake




2.  Where do Earthquakes Happen?

  • Notice the relationship between plate boundaries, volcano locations, and major earthquake locations!  
  • Most earthquakes occur at plate boundaries; the movements of the plates create breaks in the Earth's crust called faults.  
  • There are 3 types of faults that occur at the 3 specific plate boundaries:

Transform - Strike-Slip Fault - Shear Stress
Divergent - normal fault - tension stress
Convergent - reverse fault - compression stress




Ground Movements Faults







3.  How Do We Find Out Where an Earthquake Happened?



Locating the epicenter:

1.  P and S waves travel at different speeds to at least 3 seismograph stations
2.  The difference in their arrival times is called lag time - lag time can be extrapolated and then used to locate the epicenter of the earthquake through a process called triangulation
3.  The radii of the circles is the distance from the epicenter to the city
4.  The point where all 3 circles meet is the epicenter of the earthquake!


                        
Links:

Seismic Waves - Video Clip

Observe Earthquake Waves Moving Through Earth's Interior - Animation

How Do We Know About the Layers of the Earth? Digital 
Lesson

Observe Earthquake Wave Movements - Animation

How Are Earthquakes Related to Plate Tectonics? Digital Interactive

Earthquake Simulator Interactive

Where Was That Earthquake? Digital Activity

Live Earthquake Map - Realtime

Japan's Earthquake Tsunami Explained (2 min) Video

Japan's Earthquake (45 min) Video

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Week of November 2 
The Birth of the Earth!

Big Idea:  The composition and properties of the Earth's interior are identified by the behavior of seismic waves.

I can...
  • explain what planetary differentiation is and when it occurred in order to form the Earth and other planets in the solar system
  • identify the different composition and consistency of each layer of the Earth's interior
Vocabulary:  crust, mantle, core, lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, seismic waves, composition, convection currents, planetary differentiation, structure, radioactive decay, density



The Birth of our Solar System 

 about 4.6 billion years ago

The Solar Nebula Hypothesis



The Birth of the Earth  - Planetary Differentiation



Our Earth is made!




What about the Earth's Layers?



The Earth's Compositional Layers - divided by chemical makeup

  • crust, mantle, core


The Earth's Physical Layers - divided by physical properties - for example - temperature, pressure, solid, or liquid

  • lithosphere, asthenosphere,mesosphere, outer core, inner core




What about the interiors of other planets?





Sunday, November 2, 2014

Week of November 3
Mount Nyiragongo, Congo, East Africa - World's Fastest Lava!

Scientists climb into the Mount Nyiragongo to obtain a precious lava sample.  They hope the lava sample will help them understand this deadly volcano in order to create better warning systems for future eruptions.

I can...

1.   investigate world distribution of tectonic activity 
2.  explore the relationship between heat from Earth’s core, convection in the magma and plate movement.
3. assess early warning systems for deadly geological events 

Vocabulary:

Ring of Fire, magma/lava,  viscosity, hot spots, island arcs, trenches, rift valley

Volcano locations around the world

Convection Currents and Volcanoes



Nyiragongo Volcano - video - (4 min.)

Nyiragongo: Terror Under the City - video - full length (49 min)

Monday, October 20, 2014

Week of October 21-October 28

What is Plate Tectonics?


 Workbook  p. 182-203


BIG IDEA!

The Earth's crust consists of tectonic plates that move relative to each other changing the surface of the Earth over time.

I can's...


  •  explain the theory of plate tectonics
  • describe the evidence that supports the theory of plate tectonics?
  •  I can explain that there are three types of stresses related to the movement of the plates?
  •  describe and relate the three main hypotheses that explain how the tectonic plates move?
  •  relate how plate tectonics affects society and science?
  • investigate the relationships between plate boundaries and and geological features and events using maps
  •  describe and model the three different types of plate boundaries?
  •  describe what type of landforms or geological events are associated with the different types of plate boundaries?

What evidence supports the theory of plate tectonics?

1.  Sea-Floor Spreading



2.  Magnetic Field Reversals




3.  Locations of earthquakes, volcanoes, and folded mountains



What causes tectonic plate motion?



Question:   What are the 3 processes that are responsible for moving the tectonic plates?

How do the tectonic plates shape the Earth's surface?

Here are the forces or stresses involved that deform the Earth's crust:



Where do these stresses occur?

What are the 3 types of plate boundaries?



Question:  Can you match stresses to the plate boundary they occur at?

What are some examples of landforms created by these different plate boundaries?

Convergent Plate Boundary

Himalayan Mountains

Divergent Plate Boundary
The Great African Rift Valley

Mid-Atlantic Ridge


Transform Plate Boundary

San Andreas Fault - California

Links:







Monday, October 6, 2014

  • Week of Oct. 6th-Oct. 16
  • The Great Super Continent - Pangaea - this massive landform was created about 270 million years ago and broke up about 220 million years ago

  • What about the future?

Digital Timeline Maker

Questions to Consider:

1.  What is the hypothesis of continental drift?
2. Why was the hypothesis of continental drift rejected initially?
3.  What are the 3 types of evidence that supports continental drift?
4.  What are the super-continents of Pangaea and Gondwana?
5.  What is the theory of plate tectonics?
6.  What are the 3 types of evidence that support the theory of plate tectonics?
7.  How does the process of sea-floor spreading work?
8. What is a magnetic field reversal?
9.  How do the locations of earthquakes and volcanoes relate to the theory of plate tectonics?
10. What are some of the early contributions of scientists who developed the theory of plate tectonics?



What Evidence Supports Plate Tectonics?

1.  Sea-Floor Spreading




2.  Locations of Volcanoes and Earthquakes
    Tectonic Plate Boundaries - red dots indicate locations of volcanoes and frequent earthquake activity

    3.  Magnetic Field Reversals and Properties of the 
    Sea Floor









    • The Earth's Magnetic Field



    Links and Videos:




Sunday, September 28, 2014

Week of Sept. 29
Image showing approximate number of satellites and space junk orbiting around the Earth.


Questions to consider:



1.  What are at least 3 examples of information that can be gathered from remote-sensing images?
2.  What is GPS and how does it work?
3.  What is GIS used for?
4.  How can remote-sensing images show how land features change over time?
5.  Can you identify some basic landforms shown in satellite images?

Observing Antarctica

Aerial Images of Erosional Landforms


Changing Erosional Landforms in Satellite Images

Petermann Glacier in Northern Greenland - compare and contrast the before and after images of the glacier.

California 2013-2014 - compare and contrast the before and after images of California.

Identifying Landforms

Satellite image of red volcano surrounded by green land.
Volcano - Mt. Fuji in Japan

The Himalayan Mountain Range

Alluvial Fan in China
The Nile River
The Great Lakes
Lena River Delta, Russia – The delta is frozen tundra for about seven months of the year, and spring transforms the region into a lush wetland. Photo: Boyd, John, Source: "Earth As Art," Published By NASA\
Wetland in Russia
Namib Desert, Namibia – Here, southwest winds have created the tallest sand dunes in the world, with some dunes reaching 300 meters in height. Photo: Boyd, John, Source: "Earth As Art," Published By NASA
The Great Sahara Desert! Some of those sand dunes are over 300 feet tall!
Green River, Desolation Canyon, Utah – Desolation Canyon is one of the largest unprotected wilderness areas in the American West. Photo: Boyd, John, Source: "Earth As Art," Published By NASA
Green River and Desolation Canyon, Utah