Earth's surface is changing.
 

Volanoes - melted rock in the Earth's crust breaks through.  Volcanoes can be destructive or create new land.

 

Earthquakes - when tectonic plates, which float on top of the mantle, bump into each other, an earthquake occurs.

 

Erosion- rock is weathered by wind, waves, flowing water and then eroded away by
wind or water.  Sedimentation is the deposition of the weathered particles of rock.
 

Look at the layers of sedimentraray rock in the Grand Canyon.

Fossils are found in sedimentary rock. See how a snail  becomes a fossil. www.angelfire.com/nj/PflommScience/snail.htm

See some examples of fossils: www.angelfire.com/nj/PflommScience/4ws2apics.htm

The lowest layers of sedimentary rock will have the oldest fossils.

ERAS OF GEOLOGIC TIME:
PreCambrian  Era            Paleozoic Era                         Mesozoic Era                  Cenozoic Era
4.6 billion years ago        570-245 million years ago       245-65 million years ago    65 million years ago to today

Scientists determine the age of fossils by relative age dating and absolute age dating.
Relative age dating - older fossils will be in lower layers
Absolute age dating - the approximate age in years as determined by carbon 14 dating

Fossils take millions of years to form.

Fossil fuels - coal, petroleum, natural gas

We are running out of these fuels.  What is the problem? It takes millions of years for nature to make them.  They are non-renewable natural resources.

EVOLUTION:
Species evolve over time because of natural selection - slight differences in the traits of some individuals makae them better able to survive than others.  These individuals are better adapted to their environment and are more likely to survive and pass on their traits.
 

FOR THE GEPA: The state says you need to know the following:
A student should know that:

A. NATURAL PROCESSES THAT CHANGE THE FEATURES ON THE EARTH'S SURFACE INCLUDE EROSION, GLACIATION, WEATHERING, EARTHQUAKES, AND VOLCANOES.
    1. Dynamic forces change the earth's surface by building up or wearing down.
    2. New features on the earth's crust are formed as a result of dynamic forces.
    3. The earth's surface can change abruptly as a result of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions or the earth's surface can change more slowly as a result of erosion, glaciation, and weathering.
    4. Forces that uplift the earth's surface include volcanism which forms mountains and volcanoes.
    5. Forces that wear the earth's surface down include weathering, glaciation and erosion.  Features formed as a result of these forces include soil and valleys.
    6. Each of these changes has an impact on people.
    7. Fossils provide evidence that life and environmental conditions have changed.