Lesson 3 The Rock Cycle: We learned how tectonic plate motion forms mountains, ocean basins, and the rock cycle. When plates move apart cracks appear in Earth’s surface forming a rift zones. Iceland straddles an active rift zone. When plates collide mountain ranges can rise as the pressure of the moving plates causes folding in the crust and uplift which is the raising up of Earth’s crust due to pressure or stress relief in the area. Earthquakes are often associated with uplift and can occur when mountains wear down or massive ice sheets retreat exerting less pressure on Earth’s crust. We looked at active volcanoes and seismic activity in the US and around the world.
Assignment: Complete active reading prompts in science workbook and add the rock cycle to your science workbook.