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The earth's crust is divided into large pieces like a jigsaw. These pieces are called plates. The plates sometimes collide causing one to move under the other, this is called subduction. The subducted plate melts making magma that rises to the surface, creating volcanoes.

1. Ocean crust

2. Volatiles and partial melt from subducted ocean plate

3. Continental crust

4. Peridotite melt

5. Subducting ocean plate

6. Mantle

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Click to view larger and see the legend. The earth's crust is divided into large pieces like a jigsaw. These pieces are called plates. The plates sometimes collide causing one to move under the other, this is called subduction. The subducted plate melts making magma that rises to the surface, creating volcanoes.

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How does the volume of water change the rate of erosion?
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Geologists are 'earth detectives'. Just like other detectives, we need clues that can help us explain what happened in the past. Studying what happens at the coast, in rivers or in the desert can help us figure out how landscapes change and sedimentary rocks form.

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https://forms.gle/boi6vF3drhfJGTWG9

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Fossils and dinosaurs

Hello! My name is Andreas and I want to tell you all about fossils and dinosaurs. The study of fossils is called palaeontology.

Fossils are fantastic evidence of past life on our planet; they are found mainly in sedimentary rocks . But how did they get there? Well, getting turned into a fossil is not an easy task and needs a rare combination of events to take place:

An ammonite bobs around happily in the sea. . .

. . .but then dies and falls to the sea floor. . .

. . .the soft parts decay leaving the shell to be buried in sediment. . .

. . .then is changed by heated water and pressure over millions of years. . .

. . . into the fossil that you find on the beach!

There are lots of different types of fossils including bones, shells, footprints and burrows. Most fossils we find today are creatures that lived their lives in the sea. This is because they were most likely to be buried before all trace of them disappeared!

Learn about some sea creatures that we regularly find fossilised:

Jurassic age rocks are shown in brown on this map of Afghanistan. These rocks might contain the fossils of dinosaurs!

Creatures living on land can also be fossilised, it just happens less often. Dinosaurs are a great example of this; they lived 230 to 65 million years ago and have been found fossilised all over the world.

Fossils are very helpful when making geological maps as they can tell us how old a rock is. Scientists have worked out that creatures looked different at different times - they evolved so that they could survive better. So if we find the same fossil in two different rocks we know they are the same age!

More information

Fossils, especially the stunning ones found in museums, are beautiful and delicate reminders of the age of the earth and of the diversity of life.

Most of the fossils that we might find on beaches or in quarries are often imperfect and have been damaged by their time in the rocks; but these common fossils contain vital information, for they are our direct evidence for the past life of our planet, Earth.

A bone or a shell, a footprint or a feeding trace, are clues left by animals and plants from which we are able to reconstruct their lives.

These clues can be used to assess the environments in which the fossils lived. A fossil might contain information about the temperature of the sea in which the living organism swam, or demonstrate the existence of old oceans that have now disappeared.

By studying their shape and patterns of evolution, fossils enable us to build up a picture of the history of life of our planet and the great evolutionary forces which have changed the face of our world.

Get involved

Do you like fossil collecting? Tell us what you've found and your favourite places to seek out new fossils using our online form.

Let's see what else we can find out about fossils and dinosaurs. Try searching the internet for:

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Hello! My name is Andreas and I want to tell you all about fossils and dinosaurs. The study of fossils is called palaeontology. Fossils are fantastic evidence of past life on our planet; they are found mainly in sedimentary rocks . But how did they get there?

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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jbaa-C1Okzkn6C_5IUUQVUTLTF6DvVgpZUJcChNNu0Y/copy

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https://forms.gle/i272EEYvR7RFAxLHA

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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10_aRuAFk-mqlCglh5rv2suzpW-m52yqk0c-YR7GRwTI/copy

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BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology

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YouTube's best convection currents video! Science demonstration for your students

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https://quizlet.com/_5ofh78?x=1jqt&i=1pufe4

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Shaping Our Earth Review Sheet 4th Review Sheet

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How does erosion affect the surface of the earth? How will the slope of earth's surface affect stream erosion?
https://forms.gle/R79XppjbD4e4wVV18

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What evidence found in rocks would lead someone to suggest that the surface of the Earth changes? What information can be obtained from fossils?
https://forms.gle/2463jzCCDz3eBG5PA

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There are three main groups of rocks - these are sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. You can see how each of them is formed in the rock cycle diagram:

Find out more about each of the different type of rock:

Some minerals are very rare and pretty - we call these gemstones and they are used to make jewellery. Can you name any gemstones?

The most famous gemstone is the diamond which is the hardest mineral in the world. So not only do they look beautiful in jewellery but they are also used in drills and saws for cutting.

The rock cycle.
Click it to view larger and then scroll down for the key.

1. Igneous rocks

2. Some of the melted rock cools inside the Earth, some rise to form volcanoes

3. Some rocks get heated even more and melt

4. Metamorphic rocks

5. Some rocks get squashed and heated and change into different rocks

6. Some rocks get pushed upwards to form mountains

7. Sedimentary rocks

8. The layers of sand, mud and pebbles are pressed together and become solid rocks

9. Sand, mud and pebbles from rivers and the sea settle into layers

10. Rivers carry sand, mud and pebbles towards the sea

11. Mountains are worn down by the wind and the rain

Floor tiles can be made from slate, sandstone and marble.

Metals such as copper and lead are used a lot in buildings, mostly in pipes for water and gas.

Homes can be built out of lots of different things - different types of rocks such as sandstone or granite or bricks made from clay.

Cement used to hold bricks together is made using limestone, clay, shale and gypsum.

Aggregates are used to make roads and concrete. They come from quarries, river beds or the sea floor.

Water is pumped up from underground stores of water in rocks - these are called aquifers. The main aquifers are deep underground in limestone or sandstone.

Technology like televisions, mobile phones and radios are made from lots of different metals and minerals such as lead and mercury

Glass is made by melting a special sort of sand consisting of mineral quartz or silica with soda ash and lime.

Pottery is mostly made from clay

Salt can be found in rocks that formed a long time ago by the evaporation of ancient lakes.

Aluminium is used to make drinks and food cans along with steel.

Cars are made from metals such as steel and aluminium. In every car there are over 15000 components made from minerals.

Electricity can be made by burning coal, lots of the world's power stations work this way.

Paint is coloured using ground up minerals found naturally on the earth.

Cutlery is made from metals, usually aluminium or steel.

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There are three main groups of rocks - these are sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. You can see how each of them is formed in the rock cycle diagram: Find out more about each of the different type of rock: Some minerals are very rare and pretty - we call these gemstones and they are used to make jewellery.

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Erosion and Weathering for Kids -Causes and Differences

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Sedimentary Rocks Video for kids by makemegenius.com

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Visit http://www.makemegenius.com ,watch all Science & other educational videos for kids for free. When mountains are old, lots of rock gets worn away due to wind or weather erosion. Most of the broken parts of the rocks end up in the streams & rivers that flow down from these mountains.

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Learn how rocks break down into soil and how natural forces like wind and rain can actually change the shape of Earth’s surface.

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Can vegetation change the rate of erosion?
https://forms.gle/ztRwZud3ag8nbtym6

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Learn how erosion can change the shape of land by moving pieces of the earth from one place to another. See examples in our fun science video. Watch now!