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:
(1) Rocks can form in different ways. This causes them to be different types. (1.4)
(2) When sediment is compacted and cemented together, it forms sedimentary rock. (1.4)
(3) 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:
(4) Matter gets transformed by energy, but the same matter is still present. (2.3)
(5) Sediment forms when any type of rock is weathered, a process driven by energy from the sun. (2.3)
(6) 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:
(7) Plate motion moves rock formations. (3.2)
(8) Subduction moves rock down, below Earth’s outer layer. (3.2)
(9) Uplift moves rock upward toward Earth’s surface. (3.2)
(10) Uplift and subduction can expose rock formations to different energy sources, which can transform them. (3.3)
(11) 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?