Gizmos Student Exploration: Weathering

Document Content and Description Below

Vocabulary: abrasion, chemical weathering, clay formation, climate, dissolving, frost wedging, granite, limestone, mechanical weathering, rusting, sandstone, shale, weathering Prior Knowledge Questi... ons (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) Compare the two pictures at right. Both pictures show the same kind of rock, granite. 1. Which rock do you think has been exposed on Earth’s surface longer? B 2. Why do you think so? Rounded and worn edges, smooth Gizmo Warm-up When rocks are exposed on Earth’s surface, they are gradually broken down into soil by the actions of rain, ice, wind, and living organisms. This process is called weathering. In the Weathering Gizmo™, you will explore how weathering takes place. To begin, select the SIMULATION tab. Notice the selected Rock type is Granite, a hard, dense rock. 1. Click Play ( ). Wait for about 5,000 simulated years, and click Pause ( ). What do you notice? Very little 2. Click Fastplay ( ). Wait for about 50,000 simulated years. What do you notice? Very little 3. Based on your observations, is weathering a fast or slow process? Slow [Show More]

Last updated: 1 year ago

Preview 1 out of 5 pages