The Earth….Our Home

The Great Bombardment

After the moon was formed, the earth (and the moon) were bombarded by meteors. This bombardment added to the rocks and elements on the earth. The surface was mostly molten. Eruptions fueled an early atmosphere mostly made of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water.

Mount Etna in Italy

This is a birthplace of Igneous Rock.

Did you know that Igneous is actually from the Latin word for fire?

Volcanoes National Park Hawaii

Lava has cooled on top but the hot lava underneath still moves causing the wrinkled look to the top layer.

Dallol Volcano, Ethiopia

Dallol is the lowest volcano on earth

(157 feet below sea level)

Note the sulfur and other minerals that color the crater.

Colorado River

This metamorphic rock continues to be eroded by the Colorado River.

This fudge looking rock is called Schist Rock.

Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Lava oozes out, solidifies and forms igneous rock.

The Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanic action.

They are still growing today.

Dirty Devil River in Utah

Is it possible that the one small river caused all this erosion?

Note the snow capped mountains in the back ground

How many years do you think it takes to wear down this rock?

Mount Roraima, Venezuela

Sandstone Mesa in the clouds.

The Andes Mountains in Chile

The Andes Mountains were formed when one tectonic plate subducted(slid underneath) another forcing the mountains to rise.

Utah’s Little Grand Canyon

Note the small stream at the bottom.

What process do you think has taken place?

A Marble Quarry in Thasos Greece

Heat and Pressure turned Limestone into Marble.

Marble is a Metamorphic Rock that forms when the limestone re-crystallizes.

The Checkerboard MesaUtah’s Zion National Park

This sandstone mesa shows fractures and furrows from years of exposure to the elements.

Box Canyon in Ouray, Colorado

An ice climber moves up icicles that formed over limestone stalagmites.

When winter is over, the water flows freely over these rocks.

Western Australia

This small cross section of rock from Western Australia shows the many layers of sediment that have accumulated over thousands of years.

Elgol Beach, Scotland

This sedimentary rock is eroding to look like a honeycomb.

Zion National Park in Utah

This sedimentary rock has been lifted (plate tectonics) and being exposed to the environment has begun to erode.

Devil’s Tower in Wyoming

This is actually igneous rock that was exposed by weathering. It was once surrounded by a covering of softer sedimentary rock.

The softer sedimentary rock has been worn away by wind and water revealing this tower.

Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

These igneous rocks (formed 50 to 60 million years ago) are shaped like giant stepping stones.

A Dry Arizona Lakebed

Once filled with alkaline water, the lake had freshwater springs from below.

Calcium carbonate deposits formed columns. The lake dried up and wind erosion wore away the sand.

Where have we seen this before?

Granite being “attacked” by lichens

Lichens are a symbiotic organism (fungi and algae) that secrete chemicals called chelates.

These chemicals can break down granite over time.

Iowa, USA

Heavy rains and no vegetation. Sheets of rain stripped away the top soil and erode the landscape.

Where does all the washed away top soil go?

Bernard Glacier, Alaska

Can you see the erosion that has taken place over thousands of years on this “glacier highway”?

What is moved by the glacier?

Utah’s Badlands

Though normally dry, a pop up thunderstorm can cause instant erosion in areas without vegetation.

Colorado Plateau, Utah

These sandstone swirls are the result of wind erosion.

Grand Canyon Arizona

Wind has eroded this sandstone into afantastic natural sculpture.

Black Gap Texas

Limestone Swirls in the ChihuahuanDesert

Baffin Island Waterfall, Nanavut, Canada

A melting glacier provides the water that runs over the cliffs on Baffin Island.

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Eroding rocks and eroding trees … evidence of a harsh environment.

North Carolina’s Outer Banks

Note the shifting position of the sandbars. Wave action and wind cause the sandbars to move daily.

Guess what process has happened here?

Where do you think this rock formation might be located?