Weathering and Soil

1. Weathering and Soil Chapter 2 6th Grade Science

2. Standards • Standard • S. 6.2 Topography is reshaped by the weathering of rock and soil and by the transportation and deposition of sediment. • 6.2.a Students know different natural energy and material resources, including air, soil, rocks, minerals, and know how to classify them as renewable and non renewable. • 6.2.c Students know the natural origin of materials used to make common objects

3. Anticipatory Set

4. Minerals and Rocks (Input) • Devils Golf Course in Death Valley National Park • Contains jagged crusts of salts are form lacy sheets, spikes and other strange shapes. • Where did all the salt come from? • 3,000 years ago, a lake filled this area. The water contained salt and over time the climate became drier causing the lake to dry up. As the water evaporated, the salt remained. • It is made up of table salt, also called Halite. • Halite is a mineral

5. What Is A Mineral? (Input) • Mineral- a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that forms on or beneath Earth’s surface. (highlight in note-taking book) • Inorganic- means to contain no materials that were once part of living things • All minerals have a crystal shape • Each mineral has a definite chemical composition. • NTB- 3,000 minerals have been identified • In order for it to be a mineral it must contain 5 of the following characterizes.

6. Mineral Characteristics (Input) • Inorganic Solid- Halite occurs naturally in areas that were once occupied by lakes or seas. • The minerals did not form from materials that were once part of a living thing • If you pour it in your hand, you can see it is made up of small, solid particles. • Crystal Shape- shaped like cubes • A solid made up of particles that line up in a pattern that repeats over and over again

7. Mineral (Input) • Definite Chemical Composition - it is made up of certain elements in definite proportions. • 1 atom of sodium and 1 atom of chlorine • Pure Elements- Copper, silver, gold, sulfur contain only one element. • It will have different properties depending on chemical composition. • They will differ in color, hardness and crystal shape

8. Rocks and the Rock Cycle (Input) • Rock- solid material made up of one or more minerals or other substances. • How are different rocks formed? • Deep inside the Earth and at the surfaces, a process occurs that slowly change rocks into different forms. • Geologists classify rocks into 3 major groups: igneous rock, sedimentary rock, and metamorphic rock. The rocks in each group form through different steps in the rock cycle. (NTB)

9. Igneous Rock • Begins with molten materials form inside the Earth • The material then hardens at or below the surface • Igneous rock- form from molten (magma) material deep inside the earth. It cools slowly beneath the Earth’s surface and large crystals form (NTB). • Other igneous rocks form when molten material erupts onto Earth’s surface. • Basalt forms when molten material cools and hardens on the surface. It cools quickly, so the crystals are smaller.

10. Sedimentary Rock • Definition- made from pieces of rocks that have been broken down by processes involving water and weather. (NTB) • Sediment- contains remains of plants and animals (NTB) • How it’s formed: Water and wind carry the sediment and deposit it in layers. These layers build up and squeeze together by their own weight. Minerals in the rocks slowly dissolve in water. This sediment slowly changes in sedimentary rock

11. Sedimentary Rock • Example: Sandstone- made up of pieces of other rocks • The remains of plants and animals can also form sedimentary rocks. • Limestone- formed in the ocean and made up of shells and coral and other animals. • Another type- when minerals dissolve in water and form crystals. (This is how rock salt is made).

12. Metamorphic Rock • Formed when rocks are exposed to a great increase in temperature and pressure. (NTB) • Earth’s forces pushes rocks down to the Earth’s interior and the deeper it becomes buried, the greater the pressure on the rock. (NTB) • Under heat and pressure, the minerals in a rock can be changed into other minerals. • If the heat and pressure are too great, the rock cycle starts again.

13. Pathways of the Rock Cycle (Input) • Look at page 52 in your book. • Igneous rock is formed. The forces of mountain building slowly pushes the granite upward, forming a mountain. Slowly, water and weather wore away from the granite, forming sand and the sand is carried to the ocean by streams. • These sediments then pile up in the ocean and press together. The sediments (sandstone) become buried, and heat and pressure change the texture from gritty to smooth- now metamorphic

14. Pathways of the Rock Cycle (Input) • The heat of Earth’s interior could melt the rock and this molten (magma) material forms igneous rocks. • They are all connected and related.

15. Checking for Understanding • What is a crystal? • What is an inorganic mineral? • What is it the term for the repeating pattern of a mineral’s particles that form a solid called? • What rock is formed from magma (molten) material? • What rock is formed from sediment? • What rock is formed from temperature and pressure?

16. Using Minerals and Rocks • Nonrenewable resource- one that is not replaced in a useful time frame. • Minerals are the source of gemstones, metals and other materials used to make many products. (NTB) • Gemstones: rubies, sapphires- hard, colorful mineral. Used in jewelry, cutting, grinding and polishing. (NTB) • Minerals are also used in foods, medicines, fertilizers and building materials. • Minerals are also the source of metals such as iron, copper and silver. • Metal tools, aluminum foil and steel used to make cars, call came from minerals.

17. Uses of Rocks (Input) • People use rocks for building materials and industrial processes. (NTG) • Granite- used in floors, and kitchen counters • Limestone- cut easily into blocks or slabs for use in buildings. It is used in making cement and steel. • Slate- splits easily into flat pieces. Used for flooring and roofing

18. Producing Metals from Ores (Input) • Ore- a rock that contains a metal or mineral that can be mined and sold for a profit. (NTG) • Most metals do not occur in pure form • It is a mineral that is a combination of that metal and other elements • Copper comes from ores containing iron, sulfur and copper. • To produce metal from an ore, the ore must be mined or removed from the ground. Then the ore must be processed to extract the metal. (NTG)

19. Mining (Input) • Once they locate the ore, they must decide how to remove it. • Strip mines – earthmovers scrape away soil to expose the ore. (NTG). • Open-pit mines- miners use giant earthmoving equipment to dig a huge pit and remove the ore. (NTG). • Shaft mines- Ore occurs in veins so miners build a shaft mines. They are a network of tunnels that extend deep in the group. (NTG). • Each has an effect on the environment

20. Effects of Mining • Soil can be blown or washed away • Plants may not be able to group for many years • They will do their best to restore the land and plant new plants when they are done

21. Smelting • Smelting- an ore is mixed with other substances and then melted. (NTG). This is not part of the rock cycle. This is something miners do to extract ore. • Useful ore separates from the rest of the rock and pure ore is removed. (NTG). • Smelting releases gases and particles of metals into the air and water. • They can be harmful. • Smelters have devices called scrubbers located on exhaust vents to release the harmful substances.

22. Checking for Understanding • What are gemstones? • What is smelting? • What is one way miners remove ore from the ground? • What do people use rocks for today?

23. Guided PracticeIndependent Practice • GP • NTG Page 35 # 1-7 • IP • NTG Page 35-36 # 8-17