Slow and Rapid Changes in Earth's Surface Let's get Moving
Have you ever wondered if earth's surface changed or not? Well I have. In this slideshow I am going to tell you about rapid and slow changes in earth's surface. Volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis are all rapid changes and erosion and weathering are all slow changes. So lets get started!
The first thing I'm going to talk about are the volcanoes. Volcanoes are a example of a rapid change in earth's surface. A volcano is a opening in earth's crust which magma, ash and gas erupt. A volcano has a lot of different parts but here are some of them: Crater, secondary vent, main vent,and magma chamber. The area that has the most volcanoes is The Ring of Fire. It contains over 450 volcanoes and is home to about 75% of the world's active volcanoes.
Another example of a rapid change are earthquakes. Most earthquake take place in earth's crust. Cracks in rocks (faults) run through the crust. Rocks on one side of the fault push against rocks on the other side causing energy. The rocks stay that way for a long time then suddenly they snap past each other and that's what makes the earthquake. Like volcanoes most earthquakes take place in The Ring of Fire. About 90% of the world's earthquakes happen in the Ring of Fire.
Another type of earthquake are tsunamis. They are mostly earthquakes but underwater. A tsunami is a huge long wave that comes without warning. Tsunamis are made when a earthquake or volcano occurs and cause a drop in the sea bed and water floods into the gap. When the gap is full water goes in the opposite direction and creates a long wave. When the tsunami crashes into land it causes destruction to anything in its path. What causes more destruction is when the tsunami returns to sea dragging everything in its path with it.
The next thing I am going to talk about is erosion. This is an example of a slow change. There are many different types of erosion. The first type I am going to talk is water erosion. Water erosion occurs when an area receives more water. The remaining water flows over the ground and turns brown as it takes rocks with it. The rocks are brought to a lower spot where they are to form a layer of sand, sediment, or other substance. Rainwater drains from the land into the stream. They flow downhill to the rivers that flow to the ocean. The moving water fades away away the soil and rock as it moves. The faster the water moves the more it erodes land around it.
Another type of erosion is ice erosion. The ice is usually in the shape of glaciers. Glaciers start as snowflakes where a lot of snow falls than can melt. When the snow is in a pile its weight causes the bottom of the pile to become ice. This process repeats for years until it becomes a glacier. Because of its weight and the slope of the mountain, very slowly the glacier is pulled downhill by gravity. When the glacier reaches warmer land it starts to melt until nothing is left but bare rock.
Another example of a slow change is weathering. Weathering can happen anywhere; it is basically a breakdown of rock into sediment. Physical weathering changes the rock's size and shape. It can happen when water comes into open spaces in rock freezes and causes rocks to crack. Or wind could blow matter at a rock and take away bits of it. Biological weathering is a breakdown of rock because of an action of living things. Animals might dig through soft rock. Some bacteria make chemicals that can breakdown rocks too.
Everyone knows that erosion and weathering have different jobs to do but, what most people don't know is that erosion and weathering can work together sometimes. They both go through the rock cycle which is a model of rocks break down and re-from over time. For example sedimentary rocks are created from sediment that's made by weathering and transported by erosion. Weathering and erosion are part of the creation of almost every rock in the world! Now that's really cool. Here is the process of weathering and erosion: First, weathering breaks down rocks. Next, the sediment is created. Then erosion transports the sediment. Last the sediment is deposited.
These are all the rapid and slow changes that happen in earth's surface. Volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis are all rapid changes and erosion and weathering are all slow changes. Next time you start wondering about the changes in earth's surface, watch this slideshow and you'll find out! So............