Earthquakes

On Monday we started a new lab having to do with earthquakes. This lab like the other one we did last week would help to reinforce the new information we had learned from taking notes. Earthquakes are caused when the plates under the crust move. Sometimes these movements can cause a large impact or a very minimal one. The reason that many earthquakes happen near the Pacific ocean is because that is where most of the plate movement occurs. The purpose of this lab was  for us to build a structure out of toothpicks and marshmallows that would still be structurally sound after an earthquake. The earthquake will be simulated with a large sheet of jello that will vibrate back and forth. Our structure was very tall so I don't think it will stay up for very long.

On Tuesday we finished this lab out by testing our structures on sheets of jello. Over night some of the structures loosened up and fell down but ours remained intact. The reason was because as the jello vibrated and moved back and forth the building structure moved with it bouncing back to its original position. My hypothesis from yesterday was proven wrong but if I were to make any improvements on it I would have added more support on the bottom and decreased the height of it as well. The rest of the day we spent working on finishing our labs and since I finished early I worked on my study guide. For the test so far I feel good about the past information that was on the quiz but I need to improve on studying the new information on earthquakes and volcanoes.

On Wednesday we did not have school since it was Veterans Day.

On Thursday we spent most of the class reviewing for our test on Friday. We played a review game as a class. This review game consisted of an answer sheet where we would record our answers. Each set of questions revolved around a different topic and most of the them had to do with the earth's core and plate tectonics.  From doing this review game I now know I have to review the different seismic waves such as body and surface waves. I also need to review the process that occur at a mid-ocean ridge and also the effects of plate boundaries. Other than those few topics of focused review I feel good about my knowledge of the test and have definitely improved my studying in advance from last week.

On Friday we took the test and afterward I felt generally good about it. I thought I was well prepared and I studied well in advance. When I saw my grade I was surprised because second guessed my self on some of the multiple choice answers but by using my knowledge I was able to narrow some of the answers down. Overall this week I definitely improved on my test because I did better on my test than quiz.

Tectonic Food

On Monday we reviewed for our science quiz on Tuesday. This quiz is on unit 4 which is about plate tectonics. As a class we reviewed for this quiz by playing a review game. The class split into two groups and each person from each side was given a series of questions to answer. If the person got the questions right then they were given the chance to shoot a nerf-gun at the white board that had targets on it with different numbers of points. This helped me review because from hearing the questions I knew which topics I needed to review for the quiz. One topic I needed to review is the occurrences of the mid-ocean ridge. It is a big topic so it is important that I understand it very well.

On Tuesday we took our science quiz. The quiz was easier than I thought it was going to be and I think I may have studied some material that wasn't even on the quiz. After studying I had a better understanding of what happened in the mid-ocean ridge and it also helped a lot with memorizing the vocab. After the quiz we finished our blogs and our only homework was our blog for that day. Overall I think I understood most of the material on the quiz and seeing my feedback will help me study for the test a lot better.

On Wednesday we reviewed questions with the website Kahoot. The questions varied from review from the quiz and questions from the next unit. I missed some of the questions from the next unit but got most of the review questions. After that we finished all the vocab for the whole unit which took up all of the class.  One word that you have heard before but most likely not in the context of science is compression. Compression is when rocks are forced together by external forces. Most of the vocab was new words I had never heard before but when going over notes tomorrow I will probably understand it more.

On Thursday we started a new lab. This lab helped reinforce some of the material we had reviewed in class. This involved cake icing, graham crackers, and fruit roll ups. The fruit roll ups represented oceanic crust because it was dense but also thin. The graham crackers represented the continental crust because it was thick but not dense. The icing represented the asthenospere because it is a thick semi-solid.  We demonstrated how the different crusts would react with each other in different situations. After the demonstrations we filled the data table in with drawings of what each one looked like and geologic features that would result from them.

On Friday we reviewed notes. one main question from this unit was how has plate tectonics affected evolution, ocean currents and global climate. We discussed this question and found that since Pangaea broke apart, species of animals were isolated from their original continents and had to adapt  to their new climate changes which led to biodiversity.  This also affects ocean currents because the plate movement disrupts heat currents. The heat changes in the atmosphere because volcanic eruption emit sulfur which decreases the harm of uv rays and can decrease the overall temperature. After notes we finished our lab questions about plate tectonics. This week I improved on my study habits but I still need to keep working hard.

Continent Drift

On Monday we finished our Continental drift activity. We did this activity to learn about the Continental drift theory since we cannot really do a lab on the Continental drift. In this lab we learned about a scientist from the early 19th century named Alfred Wegener. During his lifetime he created the earliest reasoning of Pangaea and Continental drift. Although people in his lifetime thought he was crazy, we now regard him as a genius. Some of his reasoning behind this was that the continents fit together almost like a puzzle. This implies that the continents were formed together and some how moved away from each other. His evidence also came from the fact that there were fossils of plants and animals that lived in  tropical climates found in glaciers. He reasoned an idea for the large land land mass which is what we know as Pangaea.

On Tuesday we did yet another activity involving the Continental drift theory. In this lab were instructed to create a model of what Pangaea might have looked like. We first color coded each physical feature such as mountains and rivers. We then cut out each continent. Then like constructing a puzzle we fit the continents together by their land features and shapes that corresponded with each other. After it was all put together we could see how each continent's physical features and land edges matched up and created one super continent. Matching these up really helped show on a visual level how each continent connected. After doing this part of the lab I can see why Wegener had the theory that he did.

On Wednesday we finished this lab. The last activity we did on this lab was a model of the oceanic crust and the occurrences that happen there. We cut three slits in a paper and each slit represented an important feature in the oceanic crust. The center slit represented the mid-ocean ridge and the two outer slits represented subduction zones. Slips of paper slid in and out of the slits to represent magma. The paper coming from the mid-ocean ridge was magma coming up and hardening into crust. The paper coming out of the two subduction zones came out of the bottom and represented continental crust being recycled back into the mantle. This model helped me have a better understanding of what really happens in the oceanic crust because understanding this is something I need to improve on.

On Thursday we reviewed for our quiz by doing textbook questions and short answer practice questions. After doing the questions I now know that I need to review the layers of the earth. Specifically the parts of the mantle such as the asthenosphere and the mesosphere. The asthenosphere is review but the mesosphere is a new layer we are just learning about. After that I worked  on short answer questions. I wrote my answers in the comments section but I was not signed in, so my work did not save. I was sad that this happened but I got enough practice in for the quiz even though they were not submitted.