Unit 3 - Earth Systems

what do I need to know?

  • I can test the physical properties of minerals, including hardness, color, luster, and streak
  • I can classify rocks as metamorphic, igneous, or sedimentary by the processes of their formation
  • I can build a model to illustrate the structural layers of Earth, including the inner core, outer core, mantle, crust, asthenosphere, and lithosphere
  • I can identify the major tectonic plates, including Eurasian, African, Indo-Australian, Pacific, North American, and South American
  • I can describe how plate tectonics causes major geological events such as ocean basins, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building.

HOW CAN I CONTINUE MY LEARNING AT HOME?

If you would like to expand on what we are learning at school through at home activities, I strongly recommend the following:

  • Visit the hall of minerals at the Perot museum (they also have a really cool earthquake simulator!)
  • Go to a park and search for rocks! Use what you have learned in class to identify the rocks based on their properties.
  • Take a family trip to visit the Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown

vocabulary

Unit 3 Vocabulary

helpful links and videos