Grade 7 Science

Review Sheet: Cluster 4

Earths Crust
I. You should understand the following terms:
1. crust
4. inner core
7. layer
10. liquid
13. sedimentary
16. lava
19. rock cycle
22. chemical weathering
25. erosion
28. soil erosion
31. geothermal energy
34. Pangaea
37. earthquake
40. magma reservoirs

2. mantle
5. surface
8. mineral
11. crystals
14. metamorphic
17. sedimentation
20. weathering
23. acid rain
26. soil
29. fossils
32. continental drift theory
35. plate tectonics
38. fault
41. erupt

3. outer core
6. rock
9. solid
12. igneous
15. magma
18. compaction
21. physical weathering
24. biological weathering
27. organic matter
30. fossil fuels
33. Alfred Wegener
36. plates
39. volcano

II. You should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What layers make up the earths structure?
2. What thin layer covers the surface of the earth?
3. True or False? The crust makes up about 10% of the Earths mass.
4. What is the Earths crust basically made of?
5. How thick is the Earths crust?
6. True or False? The deeper you go into the Earths interior, the hotter it becomes.
7. How is the crust under the oceans different from the crust in other places?
8. What layer is just below the earths crust?
9. How thick is the mantle?
10. True or False? The Earths mantle is completely solid.
11. What is the temperature range in the Earths mantle?
12. What is the next layer below the mantle?
13. True or False? The outer layer is mostly solid rock.
14. The outer core is composed mostly of what mineral?
15. What does the outer core surround?
16. How hot does it get in the outer core?
17. What is the center of the earth called?
18. What is the shape of the inner core?
19. True or False? The inner core is a solid layer of iron and nickel.
20. True or False? The reason why the inner core is solid and not liquid is because it is not as
hot there as compared with the outer core.
21. What name is given to solids that occur naturally on the earth?
22. What is a mineral usually made of?
23. What properties are used to identify crystals?
24. What are mixtures of minerals called?
25. True or False? Rocks always have the same number and amount of minerals present.

26. Name three types of rocks.

27. How are rocks classified?
28. What type of rock is made from magma or molten lava?
29. Where would you find magma?
30. What do you call liquefied rock on the Earths surface?
31. How does magma become igneous rock?
32. List three examples of igneous rocks.
33. What types of things make up sedimentary rocks?
34. What is the process called in which different materials settle in layers?
35. By what process do layers of materials that have settled turn into rock?
36. True or False: Fossils are more likely to be found in igneous rocks than sedimentary
rocks.
37. Give three examples of sedimentary rocks.
38. What type of rock changes from its original form because of heat and pressure below the
Earths surface?
39. Give three example of metamorphic rock.
40. What do you call the naturally occurring process in which rocks continue to change form
over long periods of time?
41. The process in which rocks are broken down and sediment is formed is called what?
42. Name three types of weathering.
43. What type of weathering involves factors such as water, ice and wind to break down
rocks?
44. Give an example of physical weathering.
45. What kind of weathering causes rocks to break up or disintegrate because of the effects of
chemical reactions upon them?
46. True or False? Acid rain is an example of biological weathering.
47. What type of weathering is caused by plants and animals?
48. Plant roots secrete an acid that softens the rock and causes it to wear down more quickly.
What type(s) of weathering is this?
49. What process moves soil and rock from one place to another?
50. What causes erosion?
51. True or False? A rock that has been exposed to a lot of erosion will eventually become
very rough.
52. What components make up soil?
53. Why is soil such a valuable resource?
54. List at least three things that are done to help prevent soil erosion?
55. Any trace or remains of once-living organisms are called what?
56. What are fossil fuels made of?
57. True or False? Fossil fuels are non-renewable.
58. What type of energy is generated in the interior of the earth?
59. Why is using geothermal energy to heat homes a good alternative to using fossil fuels?
60. What theory suggests that all the continents in the world were once joined to each other
in one supercontinent called Pangaea, but then later drifted apart?
61. Which scientist proposed the continental drift theory?
62. What was the main argument in support of this theory?
63. True or False? The continental drift theory is still accepted by most scientists today.
64. What theory about the earths structure states that the Earths crust is made of very large
pieces called plates that are always moving very slowly on the Earths mantle?

65. The shaking of the ground caused by an abrupt shift of rock along a fracture of the earth
is called what?
66. True or False? The earths crust at most times is not under great pressure, but only during
earthquakes.
67. What cause volcanoes to form?
68. What is the name of underground storage areas where magma gathers?
69. What causes a volcano to erupt?
70. True or False? Over time volcanoes get smaller.
Answers:
1. crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
2. crust
3. False. It makes up about 1% of the Earths mass.
4. rocks
5. 7 to 70 km thick.
6. True
7. The crust is thinner under the oceans but considerably denser.
8. the mantle
9. about 2900 km thick
10. False. It is mostly solid but there is some melting that takes place because of the extreme
heat and pressure.
11. from 500C to 4000C.
12. outer core
13. False. It is a liquid layer.
14. iron
15. the inner core
16. It is estimated that temperatures range from 4000C to 5000C.
17. inner core
18. sphere
19. True
20. False. It is actually hotter (5000C to 7000C) but the core is solid because of greater
pressure.
21. minerals
22. crystals
23. color, hardness and crystal form
24. rocks
25. False
26. igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic
27. They are classified by how they were formed.
28. igneous rocks
29. beneath the earths surface
30. lava
31. by cooling and hardening
32. pumice, basalt and granite
33. sand, mud, pebbles, silt, remains of plants or animals.
34. sedimentation
35. compaction
36. False

37. sandstone, limestone, shale

38. metamorphic rock
39. marble, slate, gneiss
40. rock cycle
41. weathering
42. physical weathering, chemical weathering, biological weathering
43. physical weathering
44. waves crashing against a shore, ice in cracks in rocks that expands, wind blowing small
particles of sand against an object such as a gravestone
45. chemical weathering
46. False. It is an example of chemical weathering.
47. biological weathering
48. biological and chemical
49. erosion
50. wind and water
51. False. It will become smoother
52. weathered rock, organic matter (such as leaves, twigs, dead worms and insects), mineral
fragments, water and air.
53. because of all the plants that are grown in it.
54. planting trees as a windbreak, growing plants to cover exposed soil, controlling water
run-off from fields, covering bare soil with decaying plants to hold the soil in place,
grazing animals on natural vegetation instead of plowing the natural vegetation under
the soil to plant crops, zero tillage
55. fossils
56. decomposed plants and other organisms that have been hardened or fossilized
57. True. Once they have been used up they are gone.
58. geothermal energy
59. Fossil fuels are non-renewable but geothermal energy isnt.
60. continental drift theory
61. Alfred Wegener
62. The shapes of the continents look like they could join together like pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle.
63. False, because there is no satisfactory explanation as to what force would cause the
continents to move.
64. plate tectonics
65. earthquake
66. False. It is under pressure all the time from tremendous forces.
67. All volcanoes are formed by the accumulation of magma or molten rock under the earths
surface.
68. magma reservoirs
69. The volcano erupts when the pressure of magma in the magma reservoir get too great.
70. False. With each eruption, the erupted material adds another layer to the growing
volcano.