Earth Science Quarter 2

Full Name:
Module 1
Grade 11 | SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS

EARTH’S Learning Targets

MATERIALS At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

AND 

Describe how rocks undergo weathering
Explain why the Earth’s interior is hot
PROCESSES  Describe what happens after magma is
formed

OVERVIEW
Earth materials include minerals, rocks, soil and
water. These are basic materials that make up the Earth in many forms. These are the resources that are
important in providing the necessities in life that include the industry, agriculture and life in general. On the
other hand, geological processes are dynamic processes at work in the earth's landforms and surfaces. The
system includes geologic processes such as erosion, weathering, plate tectonics and other related processes.

In this module, you will discover the materials that make up Earth, their value and importance, and how
these materials are created. You will also learn about the geologic processes that operate beneath and within
the Earth’s surface which change Earth in a lot of ways.

INTRODUCTION

You will learn other processes that contribute to the changing Earth’s landscape. These processes can
be classified as Exogenic and Endogenic processes. Exogenic processes include geological phenomena
and processes that originate externally to the Earth's surface. They are genetically related to the atmosphere,
hydrosphere and biosphere, and therefore to processes of weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition,
denudation etc. Endogenic processes are internal processes that occur beneath the Earth which results in
reshaping of Earth’s landforms. There are important endogenic processes that play important roles in the
formation of different landforms – these are tectonic processes (folding, faulting, and shearing) and volcanism.

Activity 1: Let Me Hear You Think

Let me know your prior knowledge about WEATHERING. What do you think is weathering and how this earth
process happens?

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Do not forget to answer this question before proceeding to the next part of this module. Reserve your answer
and look if you still remember what is weathering by reading the next lesson. Enjoy learning!

READ AND LEARN

WEATHERING
When you travel by land or through air, you will see several landforms such as deep valleys, rolling
mountains, vast plains, beautiful shorelines and islands. But what do you think have caused these features?
Deformation is the process by which the Earth’s crust is deformed along plate tectonic margins. This can
produce some geologic features such as folds, and faults.

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 Weathering refers to the breaking or decomposition of rocks due to external factors that can be caused
by climate, weather, chemical compounds, or living organisms. Weathering can be identified by formation of
cracks, spaces, or small fractures on rocks. Weathering can be characterized into Physical weathering (decay
of rocks due to weather elements such as high temperature or extreme cold), Chemical weathering
(decomposition due to chemical changes in the mineral), and Biological weathering (breaking of rocks
brought by living organisms) as cited from Hugget, 2011.

 Physical Weathering
Happens whenever rocks are broken up into smaller fragments without any chemical change in their
composition. Examples of Physical weathering include block disintegration, exfoliation, and frost action.

o Block disintegration – the successive heating and cooling which causes the expansion and contraction
of rocks. In hot desert regions, day temperatures are very high while nights are very cold. This high
diurnal range of temperature causes successive expansion and contraction of the rocks which tend to
enlarge the joints. As a result, the rocks disintegrate into smaller blocks.

o Exfoliation - results because of the intense heating of the rock’s outer layers. Since rocks are poor
conductors of heat, the inner layers remain almost unaffected by heat. Due to successive expansion
and contraction, the outer layers of the rock subsequently peel off from the main mass of the rock in the
form of concentric shells.

o Frost action – one of the most important physical weathering processes in cold climates. The alternate
freezing and melting of water inside the joints of the rocks, splits them into fragments. This is because
conversion of water into ice increases the volume of water by 10 %. In cold regions rocks are
disintegrated into small particles through this process.

Block disintegration Exfoliation Frost action

 Chemical Weathering
Change in the rocks through formation of new compounds or formation of new substances. This includes
oxidation, hydrolysis, and acid solution.

o Oxidation – process in which atmospheric oxygen reacts with the rock to produce oxides. The greatest
impact of this process is observed on ferrous minerals. Oxygen present in humid air reacts with iron grains
in the rocks to form yellow or red oxide of iron. This is called rusting of the iron. Rust decomposes rocks
completely with passage of time.
o Carbonation – the process by which types of carbonates are formed. Some of these carbonates are
soluble in water. For example, when rainwater containing carbon dioxide passes through pervious
limestone rocks, the rock joints enlarge due to the action of carbonic acid. The joints enlarge in size and
lime is removed in solution.

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 o Hydration – process by which water is absorbed by the minerals of the rock. Due to the absorption of
water by the rock, its volume increases and the grains lose their shape. Feldspar. For example, is
changed into kaolin through hydration.
o Solution – process in which some of the minerals get dissolved in water. They are therefore removed in
solution. Rock salt and gypsum are removed through this process.

 Biological Weathering

Plants contribute to both physical and chemical weathering. The roots of the plants penetrate into the
joints of the rocks. They grow longer and thicker. In this manner, they exert pressure on the rocks and the rock
joints are thereby enlarged and break into smaller fragments.

Burrowing animals like earthworms, rats, rabbits, termites and ants breakdown the rocks. These
disintegrated rocks can easily be eroded or removed by wind etc. Hooves of animals break the soil and thus
assist soil erosion.

Human beings play a very important role in weathering of various rocks. Man breaks a large amount of
rocks in the course of his activities, like agriculture, construction of houses, and construction of roads, among
others.

Growing plants Burrowing animals Construction activities

EROSION
Erosion refers to the movement of rocks, debris, and other
products of weathering, from one location to another. When large
rocks are broken into smaller pieces in weathering, erosional
geomorphic agents would then carry these small fragments. Erosional
agents include flowing water (streams and rivers), glaciers, wind, and
ocean waves. Erosion contributes a large part on the continuous
changes that occur in the Earth’s surface.

MASS WASTING
Mass wasting refers to the movement of rocks due to the force of
gravity. Cracks and breaks, due to continuous weathering, can create
large chunks of rocks that would eventually fall downwards due to its
heavy mass. Mass wasting can occur slowly, as small fragments of rocks
are gradually deposited at a lower elevation, or it can occur suddenly.
Landslides are the most common mass wasting occurrence, which can
result to catastrophic consequences. Some activities can cause mass
wasting such as: removal of support from below (e.g. mining), overloading
of materials due to filling, overloading due to rainfall, removal of rock
material from slope, or earthquakes and volcanic eruptions as stated by
Nelson, 2018.

DEPOSITION
Deposition is geological process which involves the addition of
sediments, soil and rocks to a land mass. Deposition is a direct
consequence of erosion, wherein the eroded rocks would then be
deposited in a particular landform. This would occur when the fragments
of rocks carried erosional agents (e.g. wind, flowing, water, or gravity)
would lose their velocity, would eventually stop its movement and settle.
Most common deposition landforms are beaches and river deltas since
they are the final destination of most erosional agents.

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 Activity 2: Please Answer my Questions

Answer the following questions briefly:

1. What is weathering?
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2. What are the three types of weathering?
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3. Differentiate Physical, Chemical, and Biological Weathering from each other.
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4. What are the types of Physical Weathering? Briefly explain each.

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5. What are the types of Chemical Weathering? Briefly explain each.

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6. What are the agents of Biological Weathering?

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7. Differentiate Weathering, Erosion, Mass Wasting, and Deposition from each other.
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READ AND LEARN

EARTH’S INTERNAL HEAT

Scientists who study the Earth are
geologists who have been able to learn about the
different layers by using other methods such as
studying rocks and minerals, volcanoes, and
earthquakes. They believe that as the Earth cooled,
heavier materials sank towards the center of the
Earth and lighter materials surfaced to the top.
Thus, determining the four main layers which are
known as the crust (continental and oceanic), the
mantle (upper and lower mantle), the outer core,
and the inner core.
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 Crust-The crust is the most outer layer of the Earth. It is underlain by the mantle. The entire earth's
crust occupies just 1% of the earth's volume. The crust is divided into two parts the continental and
oceanic. The oceanic crust is roughly 7 kilometers thick and composed of the dark igneous rock
called basalt. By contrast, the continental crust averages 35-40 kilometers thick but may exceed
70 kilometers in some mountainous regions. Unlike the oceanic crust, which has a relatively
homogenous chemical composition, the continental crust consists of many rock types. The rocks
of the oceanic crust are younger (180 million years or less) and more dense than continental
rocks. The temperature of the crust is 200 degrees Celsius (392 Fahrenheit) to 400 degrees Celsius
(752 Fahrenheit).

 Mantle- The Mantle is the second layer of the earth, that take up 80% of the Earth, a solid, rocky
shell that extends to a depth of 2900 kilometers. The dominant rock type in the upper mantle is
peridotite. The mantle has two sections: (Lithosphere and the Asthenosphere). The temperature of
the lithosphere and asthenosphere is 300 to 500 degrees Celsius. In the mantle, convection
currents occur. The convection current occurs in the lithosphere and the asthenosphere. The
lithosphere (sphere of rock) is the upper part of the mantle. Its temperature is about 400 degrees
Celsius. The lithosphere (lower mantle) is rigid part of the mantle. The lithosphere is not only part of
the mantle it is the crust and the upper part of the mantle together. The depth of the lithosphere is
50-100 km thick. Beneath the lithosphere in the upper mantle (to a depth of about 660 kilometers)
lies a soft, comparatively weak layer known as asthenosphere (weak sphere) The top portion of
asthenosphere results in a small amount of melting due to high temperature and melting. A very
interesting fact is that the mantle grows about a meter every year.

 Core- is the third layer of the earth, is a sphere composed of an iron nickel alloy. At the extreme
pressures found in the core, the iron rich material has an average density of nearly 11g/cm cubes
and approaches 14 times the density of water at earth’s center. This core is divided into two
regions that exhibit very different mechanical strengths.

a. The outer core -. The outer core surrounds the inner core. It is a liquid layer 2270 kilometers thick.it is
the convective flow of metallic iron within the zone that generates Earth’s magnetic field. The
temperature is 7,200 to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit (4,000 to 5,000 degrees Celsius).

b. The inner core- is the most inner layer of the earth, a sphere having a radius of 1216 kilometers. The
inner core is extremely hot it is somewhere between 9000- and 13000-degrees Fahrenheit (5000
and 7000 degrees Celsius). Despite its higher temperature, the material in the inner core is solid
because of intense pressure than the outer core. The iron in the inner core is not pure (so not just
iron) scientists believe it contains sulfur and nickel and also smaller number of other elements.

Heat is seen as energy from the motion of the molecules of bodies, such as Earth, that may be
transferred by conduction, convection, or radiation. Such heat drives the many internal processes of
the planet.

There are three main sources of heat on Earth:

1. 1. Heat from the accretion of Earth during its formation.
2. 2. Frictional heating, caused by the sinking of core materials to the center of the planet.
3. 3. Heat from the decay of radioactive elements.

 VOLCANISM and METAMORPHISM

Volcanism is the eruption of molten rock called

magma onto Earth’s surface through a vent. A volcano is
a vent or a series of vents on the crust. The vent is like a
chimney; it is where magma, ash, and gases are released.
The mouth of the vent is referred to as crater. The large,
almost circular depression formed either by the collapse or
explosion of the volcano is caldera. Crater lakes
sometimes form in these calderas.
The heat of the planet is trapped underneath. The
temperature increases with depth. In the upper crust, the
rate of temperature change averages at 20⁰ to 30⁰ per
kilometer. This change in temperature is called geothermal
gradient.
Magma is generated when the right conditions are met. These conditions include the
addition of heat, decrease in pressure, and change in composition of the mantle. Metamorphism is
the change of minerals or geologic texture in pre-existing rocks, without the protolith (original,
unmetamorphosed rock from which a given metamorphic rock is formed) melting into liquid magma.
The change occurs primarily due to heat, pressure, and the introduction of chemically active fluids.

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 The addition of heat can be generated within the lithosphere
at the subduction zone. The subduction zones are the long,
narrow zones where one lithospheric plate descends beneath
another, specifically, when an oceanic lithosphere thrusts into the
mantle along a convergence. Heat in the crust and upper mantle
is added as huge slabs of crust slide past each other at the
subduction zones by friction, when crustal rocks descend at the
subduction zone, and when hot mantle rocks rises and intrudes
crustal rocks. Melting of the minerals within Earth causes the atoms
to be disordered, making them move freely and take up more
space. In the case of magma, it occupies about 10 percent more
volume than the rock that formed it. When a rock is melted on the
surface, it can do so readily because there is little pressure against its expansion.

Activity 3: Please Answer my Questions

Answer the following questions briefly.

1. What are the three sources of the Earth’s heat?

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2. What is happening to a rock during metamorphism?

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READ AND LEARN

SEQUEL ON MAGMA FORMATION

After learning various exogenic processes,
we will discuss the different geologic phenomena
that occur within our planet. In this section, you will
find out what happens after molten rocks are
formed.

Geologists have concluded that magma

originates when solid rock melts. It occur when
heat is added, the pressure is decreased and the
inclusion of volatiles. On your previous topic, rocks
defer in various features and are classified as
igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.

The solidified state of this molten material is

referred to as igneous rocks. These rocks may
actually differ as volcanic (extrusive) and plutonic (intrusive) rocks. These categories follow a general rule, the
slower the rock cools, the larger mineral crystals are formed (Dutch, Monroe and Moran, 1998). Extrusive
igneous rocks are formed from lava, cools quickly, usually light colored, lower in density and has smaller or no
crystal grains. Some examples of this type include rhyolite, basalt and andesite. While, Diorite, Granite, and
Gabbro are examples of intrusive igneous rocks, are formed from magma, cools slowly, usually dense and
darker. It also contains larger crystal grains.

Moreover, these rocks are further classified according to their texture and mineral composition. Igneous
textures resulted from the differences in cooling rate of the rocks which includes coarse-grained (phaneritic),
fine-grained (aphanitic), porphyritic, glassy, frothy and pyroclastic (fragmental). The amount of silica, the kinds
of feldspar and other minerals present are the basic categories to classify igneous rocks in terms of its chemical
composition. Rocks are classified as felsic (>65% silica), mafic (45-52% silica), intermediate (53-65% silica) and
ultramafic (<45% silica).

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 Activity 4: Please Answer my Questions

Answer the following questions briefly.

1. Differentiate magma from lava.

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2. How magma is being formed? Where does it come from?

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3. What happened to the magma after it solidifies? What do you call its solidified state?
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4. Differentiate phaneritic from aphanitic.

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References
Arcangel et al. 2020. Earth and Life Science. Quarter 1 - Module 2: Earth Minerals and Processes. Department of
Education – Regional Office 10. Zone 1, Upper Balulang Cagayan de Oro City 9000

ASSESSMENT SHEET 1
FULL NAME:
LAST NAME FIRST NAME MIDDLE INITIAL

Grade 11 | SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS Date: _______________________________

Picture Essay

Describe what happens after the magma is formed using a concept map.

EARTH SCIENCE | Ms. Nezell C. Gamboa| Page 7 of 8

 Fill in the Table

Directions: There are three general types of weathering – physical, chemical, and biological weathering.
Choose 2 examples for each type of rock weathering. Illustrate and explain how these examples of
weathering occur.

PHYSICAL WEATHERING

CHEMICAL WEATHERING

BIOLOGICAL WEATHERING

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