Geography Test: Shaping The Earth

✏ Wegener’s Theory

Alfred Wegner’s theory is that continents can move and shift - he believed they were all connected before to form a supercontinent that he named Pangea

🧩 Wegener’s 4 Evidence Points

J – Jigsaw: Continents fit like puzzle pieces
F – Fossils: Same fossils found across continents
G – Geology: Same rock types on different coasts
C – Climate: Glacier grooves show different past climates

Layers of the Earth

• Crust: Coolest, outer shell, 0–700°C, where plates sit

• Mantle: Magma zone, 870–4400°C, made of iron/magnesium rock

• Core: Inner metal (iron/nickel), 4000–8000°C, spinning center

Plate Boundaries

Convergent

Collide

Mountains or trenches

Divergent

Divide/separate

New crust, volcanoes

Transform

Slide past

Earthquakes

⛏ Weathering & Erosion

• Physical – Temperature causes cracks

• Chemical – Water + rocks = reaction (oxidation)

• Biological – Plants or animals break rocks

Erosion – Moving broken pieces by water, wind, or ice

Types Of Glaciers

A – Alpine (mountain slopes)
I – Ice sheets (spread wide)

Impact Of Glaciers

E – Erode land and carve valleys
D – Dig out rivers/lakes
T – Transport rock and debris

🌡 How Do Scientists Use Glaciers to measure Climate

• Melt fast = hotter climate

• Scientists watch glaciers to track climate change

What Are Glaciers

Fallen snow that compresses into ice

Describe three human-led activities that transform the Earth

• Deforestation – Cutting down forests for wood, farming, and development.

• Mining – Digging into the earth to extract metals and minerals.

• Agriculture – Farming and raising animals, which changes land and ecosystems.

Describe the importance of these activities

• Deforestation provides space for farming and resources like wood and paper.

• Mining gives us materials for technology, buildings, and tools.

• Agriculture feeds people and provides raw materials (like cotton and corn).

Describe how the environmental impact of these activities can be reduced

• Deforestation: Replant trees (reforestation), use less paper, support sustainable logging.

• Mining: Reclaim mined land, reduce waste, and recycle metals to lower the need for new mining.

• Agriculture: Use eco-friendly techniques like crop rotation, natural fertilizers, and less pesticide.