Lesson 74 of 84 · Earth Systems
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌋 Rock RealmErosion: Moving Earth's Surface (Part 3)
Earth Systems.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
The slowest changes are the biggest ones.
Mind = Blown
🪨 Every grain of sand on every beach used to be a mountain.
Make a hypothesis first
Predict: which will erode faster?
What You'll Learn
Wind forms when the sun heats Earth's surface unevenly, creating pressure differences. Air moves from high pressure to low pressure areas, and Earth's rotation curves the wind paths.
Key Words
- erosion
- weathering
Materials Needed
- clay
- water
- plastic tray
- magnifying glass
- newspaper
- spray bottle
Safety First
- Protect your work surface with newspaper or plastic.
- Adult supervision recommended.
- Do not taste any materials.
Steps
Review the background information on Earth Systems before starting.
Build a working model of a volcano using baking soda and vinegar. Observe the eruption and explain what causes real volcanic eruptions.
Look for patterns in your observations.
Make a graph or chart showing your results.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is erosion?
Where you see this in real life
This is shaping the ground you walk on, slowly, every single day.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find a rock outside and try to guess how old it is.
For the dinner table
“What's the slowest change you can think of?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Checkout complete lesson on Earth Systems for 8th Grade
Get the full Earth Systems track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.