Earth's Treasures - Rocks, Minerals, and Gemstones

(a)   are scientists who study the structure of the Earth.
(b)   are scientists who study minerals and identify them.

• Mineralogists

• Geologists

Identify the layers of the Earth.

a

b

c

d

Mantle

Crust

Outer Core

Inner Core

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

(a)   is one of our most valuable natural resources, and without it, nothing would be able to live.

• Soil

• Rock

• Metal

Answer explanation

Soil supports plant life which provides food and oxygen.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Match the following terms to their correct definitions.

• Lava

• Melted rock that moves like pliable plastic

• Bedrock

• Decaying plant and animal material

• Soil

• Magma that has erupted though the Earth's surface

• Humus

• Loose earth containing humus and tiny pieces of weathered rock

• Magma

• Solid, unmovable rock

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

A (a)   is any material found in God's creation which is helpful to man.

• natural resource

• conservation

• humus

Answer explanation

Conservation is the wise use of our natural resources.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Any time rock becomes exposed to the environment, new soil is formed by a process called ______, which is reducing rock into soil.

• compaction

• weathering

• erosion

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

In (a)   weathering, the makeup of rock is changed by acid when it slowly breaks the rock apart.

In (b)   weathering, rock is broken by physical forces.

• chemical

• physical

Answer explanation

Chemical weathering: Plants, such as mosses and lichens produce acids that weather the rocks they cling to. Rainwater mixes with gases in the air and produce acid.

Physical weathering: In desert areas where temperatures change from very hot during the day to cold at night, sounds like gun shots can be heard as rocks split and break because of the stress of rapid cooling.

🔶 ​ (a)   rock forms when a rock of one kind changes to another kind with a completely different chemical composition and texture. Deep in the Earth's crust, they are exposed to tremendous pressures and temperatures that can alter their chemical makeup.

🔶 ​ (b)   , or fiery, rock forms when magma cools and then hardens after it has been forced through the Earth's crust at a volcano. Sometimes, the magma doesn't erupt but pushes up underground cracks in existing rock and cools slowly beneath the surface.

🔶 ​ (c)   rock forms when water flows over land and carries fine bits of soil that are pressed together under water. It can also form from the weathering of older rocks.

• Sedimentary

• Igneous

• Metamorphic

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

Place each rock into the correct category.

Groups:

(a) Igneous

,

(b) Sedimentary

,

(c) Metamorphic

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Answer explanation

Metamorphic rock:

Marble is a rock that was once limestone but was hardened as the result of extreme heat and pressure within the earth.

Slate was once shale that has hardened and changed form.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Match the following rocks to their correct descriptions.

• Granite

• A rock that floats

• Sandstone

• Most of the rock deep below the surface of the land

• Limestone

• Rock made of sand

• Pumice

• Rock formed from shells of sea creatures

• Shale

• Rock that smells like mud when it gets wet