Earth Materials

The water cycle goes round and round: water evaporates, forms clouds, falls as rain, and collects in rivers and oceans.

A flood happens when too much rain falls and water overflows rivers and streams.

Soil is made of tiny rocks, dead plants, water, and air. Plants grow in soil.

The four seasons—spring, summer, fall, and winter—happen because Earth tilts as it goes around the sun.

Earth has many different landforms: mountains, valleys, plains, hills, and plateaus.

Fossils are imprints or remains of living things from long ago, found in rocks.

Sand at the beach was once big rocks that broke down over millions of years.

Clouds form when water vapor rises, cools, and turns into tiny water droplets.

Rocks can be sorted by size, color, shape, and texture. Geologists study rocks to learn about Earth!

Earthquakes happen when the ground shakes. They are caused by movement deep under the Earth's surface.

Glaciers are huge sheets of ice that move very slowly and shape the land beneath them.

The ocean covers most of Earth's surface. Ocean water is salty!

A compass always points north because Earth has a magnetic field.

Layers of rock tell the story of Earth's history. Older layers are at the bottom!

A drought happens when an area gets very little rain for a long time.