Earth's Rocky Ground
Recognise rocky ground, solid rock below soil, and stones as natural pieces of rock. Know that Earth also contains other materials.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Identify bedrock as solid rock below soil
- Identify stones as natural pieces of rock
- Explain that Earth has rocky ground and also contains other materials
1 · Read
Earth has a rocky outside. Soil often covers solid rock called bedrock. Bedrock can be near the surface or far below it. Seeing soil on top does not tell you the depth. Soil can contain tiny rock bits and old plant parts. Some places have bare rock with no soil on top.
Mia finds a stone in the garden. It is a small piece of natural rock. Picking it up does not change what it is made of.
A stone is solid. It keeps its shape when you set it down. Water is liquid and can flow. Earth has water in seas, with solid rock below the water.
A stone is natural rock. A plastic button is made by people. Finding an object in a garden does not make it rock. Earth has rock, water and other materials. One stone cannot show us everything inside Earth.
Soil can cover bedrock. Stones are small pieces of natural rock. Earth also has water and other materials.
Readings and flashcards written for this dataset, using geology references for facts rather than copied or adapted prose.
More to read
Learning from rocks
A geologist is a scientist who studies Earth. Rocks can give a geologist clues about the past. A geologist may study how a rock formed or how it changed. A geologist can study both a small stone and a large mountain.
What can be inside a rock?
Many rocks contain mineral grains. A mineral is a natural solid material. The grains in one rock may be large enough to see. In another rock, they may be too small to see without help. One rock can contain more than one kind of mineral.
From rocks to smaller pieces
Rock can break into smaller pieces over time. Wind and water can help this happen. Some pieces are stones. Other pieces are tiny grains that can become part of soil. Old plant parts can mix with those grains. Soil is not the same as one solid stone.
Rock that soil can hide
Bedrock is solid rock below soil. The soil may hide it from view. In some places bedrock is close to the surface. In others it is far below. Bare rock has no soil covering it. A patch of soil alone does not show how deep the bedrock is.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.