Unit Question

How do rocks form and change?

Chapter 1

Question: How did the rock of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains form?

Investigations Questions:

  • How do rocks form? (1.3, 1.4, 1.5)

Key Concepts:

  • Rocks can form in different ways. This causes them to be different types. (1.4)

  • When sediment is compacted and cemented together, it forms sedimentary rock. (1.4)

  • When magma cools, it hardens to form igneous rock. (1.4)

Chapter 2

Question: Where did the magma and sediment that formed the rock of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains come from?

Investigations Questions:

  • What causes sediment and magma to form? (2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4)

Key Concepts:

  • Matter gets transformed by energy, but the same matter is still present. (2.3)

  • Sediment forms when any type of rock is weathered, a process driven by energy from the sun. (2.3)

  • Magma forms when any type of rock is melted, a process driven by energy from Earth’s interior. (2.3)

Chapter 3

Question: How could rock from one of the regions have transformed into a different type of rock in the other region?

Investigations Questions:

  • How do rock formations move between the surface and Earth’s interior? (3.1, 3.2)

  • How do uplift and subduction lead to the transformation of rocks? (3.2, 3.3)

Key Concepts:

  • Plate motion moves rock formations. (3.2)

  • Subduction moves rock down, below Earth’s outer layer. (3.2)

  • Uplift moves rock upward toward Earth’s surface. (3.2)

  • Uplift and subduction can expose rock formations to different energy sources, which can transform them. (3.3)

  • Any type of rock can transform into any type of rock because of plate motion. (3.3)

Chapter 4: Science Seminar

Question: What rock transformation processes are happening on Venus?