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Title
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Exploring Earth's Past
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Type
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Primary: Laboratory
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Operation
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Tectonic Fury
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Mission:
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Mission 3: Analyzing the Evidence
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Print Page
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89
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Subjects
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Science | Earth and space science | Evolution | Geologic time | Science as inquiry | Science process skills | Analyzing data | Classifying | Communicating | Hypothesizing | Measuring | Modeling | Observing | Predicting | Scientific habits of mind | Using mathematics
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Grades
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8
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Keywords
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geologic time, scale, ratio, relative dating, radiometric dating, model, era, period, timeline, Earth's history, Earth's past, Dr. George Guthrie
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Duration
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01:30:00 (HH:MM:SS)
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Audience
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Teachers | Elementary Grades | Junior High
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Created On
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5/7/2010
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Copyright
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Raul D. Martin/National Geographic Image Collection
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From: Tectonic Fury Mission 3: Analyzing the Evidence (pp: 89) |
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Exploring Earth's Past In this lab, students will analyze the geologic history of Earth. To do this, they will build a time scale which includes major events in the geologic past. Using radiometric dating techniques, students will organize these events to gain a better understanding about how Earth has changed over the past 4.5 billion years. |
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To help narrow his search for locations for carbon sequestration, Dr. George Guthrie analyzes the geologic history and events which produce rocks that are good for holding carbon. By understanding these processes and history, he can search for new locations that have undergone a similar series of events in their geologic past.
In this activity, you will analyze the geologic history of Earth. To do this, you will build a time scale which includes major events in the geologic past. Using radiometric dating techniques, you will organize these events to gain a better understanding about how Earth has changed over the past 4.5 billion years.
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| Materials |
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- meter stick
- paper clips
- tape
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| Lab Prep |
- Measure out a piece of string 5 meters long. Tape the string horizontally to a wall.
- Mark the two ends and every ½ meter along the string with tape.
- Label one end of the string "Today" and the other end "5 billion years ago."
- Starting from the side labeled "Today," move to the next piece of tape and mark it "500 million years ago." Move to the next one and mark it "1 billion years ago," the next "1.5 billion years ago," "2 billion years ago," "2.5 billion years ago," and so on until you get to the end marked "5 billion years ago."
- Based on the setup, what is the scale of the string related to years? (1 m = x Years; 1 cm = x Years)
- Cut out the Geologic Event cards provided in the data sheet.
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| Make Observations |
- With your group, determine where you think each card belongs along the time scale. Use a paperclip to attach each card.
- Document the placement of each card on your data sheet. Provide rationale for the order your group selected. Compare and contrast your order with other groups in your class.
- Using the radiometric data and the directions in the data sheet, determine the radiometric age of each event.
- Using this analysis, a meter stick, and the scale, position each event at its appropriate position along the string.
- How did your original positioning of the events compare to the position based on the radiometric dating?
- Describe some observations of the distribution of the events on the time scale.
- Using the dates from the text, mark the beginning and end of each era and period on your string.
- Based on your time scale, describe some of the changes that may have occurred throughout each era and period of Earth’s history.
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Journal Question
How would increasing the number of events on your timeline affect your understanding of Earth’s geologic past? |
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