MS-ESS2-2

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

  1. Earth

    Cool Jobs: Getting to know volcanoes

    It’s too hot to explore the insides of a volcano. These scientists examine their lava, their low-frequency rumblings and their ‘vog’.

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  2. Earth

    Quake risk in some central states rivals California’s

    Risks of tremors in some central U.S. states are as high as those in quake-prone California. The reason: waste fluids from oil and gas drilling.

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  3. Earth

    Mystery ‘earmuffs’ sit deep inside Earth

    Two vast blobs in Earth’s lower mantle could result from a “trainwreck” of ancient colliding tectonic plates.

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  4. Oceans

    Explainer: What is a tsunami?

    Earthquakes and landslides can create huge waves that travel across oceans.

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  5. Earth

    Major new quake rattles Nepal

    A new earthquake struck Nepal on May 12. Its tremors were centered on a new region.

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  6. Microbes

    Life’s ultra-slow lane is deep beneath the sea

    Biologists had suspected the deep seafloor would be little more than barren sediment. But they found a surprising amount of oxygen — and life.

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  7. Earth

    Explainer: Understanding plate tectonics

    Plate tectonics is the process whereby Earth continually rebuilds itself — and causes destructive events like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

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  8. Fossils

    Tar pit clues provide ice age news

    New analyses of insects and mammals trapped in the La Brea Tar Pits point to climate surprises during the last ice age.

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  9. Earth

    Explainer: The volcano basics

    Here’s an overview of what they are, where they form and the many ways they pose dangers.

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  10. Physics

    Bracing sand sculptures with gravity

    Natural sculptures of sandstone withstand strong winds and rains. The reason, a new study concludes: Gravity holds the sand grains together.

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  11. Earth

    Thirst for water moves and shakes California

    Here’s a scary cost to pumping up groundwater to slake the thirst of crops in California’s Central Valley: It may uplift nearby mountains and trigger tiny earthquakes, experts find.

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  12. Math

    Teen puts calculus on ice

    Jacob Nichols wondered if he could use calculus to find the volume of the icicles building up outside his house. His study earned him a spot at the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

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