Earth Systems

SCEG: Earth Systems

SCEG: Earth Systems

SCEG.A.1: obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to investigate the composition and formation of Earth systems, including Earth's place in the solar system

SCEG.A.2: obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to understand how plate tectonics create certain geologic features, landforms, Earth materials, and geologic hazards

SCEG.A.3: obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to explore the actions of water, wind, ice, and gravity as they relate to landscape change

SCEG.A.4: obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to understand how rock relationships and fossils are used to reconstruct Earth's past

SCEG.A.5: obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to investigate the interaction of solar energy and Earth's systems to produce weather and climate

SCEG.A.6: obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how life on Earth responds to and shapes Earth's systems

SCEG.A.1.a: construct an explanation of the origins of the solar system from scientific evidence including the composition, distribution, and motion of solar system objects

SCEG.A.1.b: ask questions to evaluate evidence for the development and composition of Earth's early systems, including the geosphere (crust, mantle, and core), hydrosphere, and atmosphere

SCEG.A.1.c: develop a model of the physical composition of Earth's layers using multiple types of evidence (e.g., Earth's magnetic field, composition of meteorites and seismic waves)

SCEG.A.2.a: construct an explanation that describes radioactive decay as the source of energy that drives plate tectonics through the process of convection

SCEG.A.2.b: develop and use models for the different types of plate tectonic settings (convergent, divergent and transform boundaries)

SCEG.A.2.c: construct an explanation that communicates the relationship of geologic features, landforms, Earth materials and geologic hazards to each plate tectonic setting

SCEG.A.2.d: ask questions to compare and contrast the relationship between transformation processes of all rock types (sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic) and specific plate tectonic settings

SCEG.A.2.e: construct an argument using multiple forms of evidence that supports the theory of plate tectonics (e.g., fossils, paleomagnetism, seafloor age, etc.)

SCEG.A.3.a: plan and carry out an investigation that demonstrates how surface water and groundwater act as the major agents of physical and chemical weathering

SCEG.A.3.b: develop a model of the processes and geologic hazards that result from both sudden and gradual mass wasting

SCEG.A.3.c: construct an explanation that relates the past and present actions of ice, wind, and water to landform distribution and landscape change

SCEG.A.3.d: construct an argument based on evidence that relates the characteristics of the sedimentary materials to the energy by which they were transported and deposited

SCEG.A.4.a: use mathematics and computational thinking to calculate the absolute age of rocks using a variety of methods (e.g., radiometric dating, rates of erosion, rates of deposition, and varve count)

SCEG.A.4.b: construct an argument applying principles of relative age (superposition, original horizontality, cross-cutting relations, and original lateral continuity) to interpret a geologic cross-section and describe how unconformities form

SCEG.A.4.c: analyze and interpret data from rock and fossil succession in a rock sequence to interpret major events in Earth's history such as mass extinction, major climatic change, and tectonic events

SCEG.A.4.d: construct an explanation applying the principle of uniformitarianism to show the relationship between sedimentary rocks and their fossils to the environments in which they were formed

SCEG.A.4.e: construct an argument using spatial representations of Earth data that interprets major transitions in Earth's history from the fossil and rock record of geologically defined areas

SCEG.A.5.a: develop and use models to explain how latitudinal variations in solar heating create differences in air pressure, global wind patterns, and ocean currents that redistribute heat globally

SCEG.A.5.b: analyze and interpret data (e.g., maps, meteograms, and weather apps) that demonstrate how the interaction and movement of air masses creates weather

SCEG.A.5.c: construct an argument that predicts weather patterns based on interactions among ocean currents, air masses, and topography

SCEG.A.5.d: analyze and interpret data to show how temperature and precipitation produce the pattern of climate regions (zones) on Earth

SCEG.A.5.e: construct an explanation that describes the conditions that generate extreme weather events (e.g., hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms) and the hazards associated with these events

SCEG.A.5.f: construct an argument relating changes in global climate to variation in Earth/sun relationships and atmospheric composition

SCEG.A.6.a: construct an argument from evidence that describes how life has responded to major events in Earth's history (e.g., major climatic change, tectonic events) through extinction, migration, and/or adaptation

SCEG.A.6.b: construct an explanation that describes how biological processes have caused major changes in Earth's systems through geologic time (e.g., nutrient cycling, atmospheric composition, and soil formation)

SCEG.A.6.c: ask questions to investigate and communicate how humans depend on Earth's land and water resources, which are distributed unevenly around the planet as a result of past geological and environmental processes

SCEG.A.6.d: analyze and interpret data that relates changes in global climate to natural and anthropogenic modification of Earth's atmosphere and oceans