Download earth and space - Mr Caners` Class

EARTH AND SPACE
PART I: IN THE BEGINNING …
Using you textbook (pages 351-368) and the film History and
Earth by National Geographic (available on Mr Caners'
website: www.mrcaners.weebly.com), answer the questions in
this booklet:
1. How old is the earth approximately?
2. What scientific theory explains the beginning of the
earth?
3. What is the role of gravity in the theory of the
beginning of the Earth?
4. What theory explains the creation of our moon?
5. What theory explains where much of the water on our
planet comes from?
PART II: OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AND EARLY FORMS OF LIFE
Although there were many planets at the beginning of the
solar system, there are now only 8 planets. The order of
the planets can be remember using the mnemonic device,
"My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles." The
first letter of each of those words represents one of the
planets. In order from the Sun, they are: Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. You
will need to know this so make sure you memorize the
mnemonic.
Pluto, which is further from the sun than Neptune, used
to be considered a planet until 2006. Now Pluto and its
moons are considered to be a collection of objects, which
together are called the "Kuiper Belt".
The eight planets that make up our solar system can be
divided into two groups: terrestrial planets and giant
gas planets. The terrestrial planets and the giant gas
planets are separated by a large asteroid belt that is
located between Mars and Jupiter. The planets between
Mercury and Mars are mostly solid, whereas the planets
beyond the asteroid belt are not.
6. What are the terrestrial planets and why are they
called that name?
7. What are the giant gas planets and why do they have
that name?
8. What is the difference between a comet and an
asteroid? (use textbook)
9. What proof is there about major impacts of meteors
and asteroids on Earth? (Hint: look up meteoroid
impact in the textbook)
10.
How many meteors hit earth on average in a year?
(Internet)
11.
Dinosaurs roamed the Earth and were the dominant
life form for 160 million years. What theory is
proposed for their disappearance?
12.
How does the theory related to asteroid collision
explain the rise of mammals as replacing the dinosaurs
as the prominent large animal of Earth?
13.
Before plant life occurred on Earth, oxygen was
released in the atmosphere by Stromatolites. What are
stromatolites? By what process was oxygen released in
the air? Why is oxygen important to life on Earth?
PART III: THE CAMBRIAN PERIOD
At the Beginning of the Cambrian Period, about 542 million
years ago, there were sea creatures like hydras, jellyfish,
sponges and seaweed living in the oceans. On land there
were only one-celled algae.
Small arthropods like beetles were starting to appear at
the same time, and by 540 million years ago the first land
plants evolved from the land algae. These plants were like
modern moss:
See more at
http://scienceforkids.kidipede.com/geology/eras/cambrian.ht
m
Earth's land was broken up into smaller continents, but
they were drifting closer together. About 500 million years
ago plate tectonics brought all of the land on the Earth
together to make a new super-continent called Pannotia.
During the Cambrian period, there does not seem to have
been any more Ice Ages. Earth was probably a little warmer
than it is today and there were no glaciers at the North or
South Pole.
Questions:
14.
What are plate tectonics and why do they move?
15.
How are plate tectonics related to earthquakes?
16.
How do plate tectonics help explain volcanoes?
Around this time, evolution seems to have speeded up so
that suddenly many new kinds of animals and plants appeared
on earth, evolving from earlier ones.
Mollusks like snails and squid appeared for the first time.
A few animals even had spinal cords and resembled something
like eels. But most animals still lived in the oceans. On
land there was still just moss and a few beetles close to
the shore.
At the end of the Cambrian Period, about 488 million years
ago, most of the animals and plants on Earth died out. This
is probably because of a global climate change.
17.
The era called the Cambrian Explosion produced
the first fossils of almost all major categories of
animals living today. During the Cambrian era the
first plants appeared on land. What change took place
that allowed plants to grow on land about 700 million
years ago? (p. 296)
18.
What are the present layers of the atmosphere and
which one contains the ozone layer? Which layer of the
atmosphere protects us from meteors? (p. 294)
19.
In the past the atmosphere was composed mostly of
carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, which are both
toxic to most current life forms on earth. What is the
atmosphere composed of now? (p. 293)
20.
At the beginning, the earth was molten lava.
After millions of years, and after the probably
collision with Thea, the Earth cooled down and the
surface became harder and formed its crust. The crust
was thinner than it is today. What are the three main
layers of the Earth? What state are they in and how
thick are they? (p. 290)
21.
What are the three parts of the biosphere?
Explain which each of their names mean.
22.
What happens to rocks when it rains? (p. 298)
23.
What percentage of the water in the world is
fresh water? How much of this water is trapped in
glaciers? (p. 299)