Catherine McLellan

What is it?

Planet Earth is about 4,500 million years old.Geology is about the Earth, how it was made, what it is made of and how it has changed over time.

Why is geology important?

Geologists (people who work in geology) study the history of our planet.They can also give us important information about natural events that happen today, like earthquakes.This can help us prepare for them.Geologists also help us with other important things that we can use every day, like finding how to make electricity from the Earth.

What are earthquakes?

Geologists find information about earthquakes.The earth is made of rocks.These rocks are always moving.The rocks on the outside of the Earth are pushed and pulled in different directions ——up, down, left and right——and sometimes they break.When this happens, the ground begins to move very quickly.This is an earthquake.

Geologists can tell us how strong an earthquake is.They give each earthquake a number from 0 to 10.This is called the ‘Richter scale’.An earthquake that is number 2 is ten times stronger than an earthquake that is number 1.

Did you know?

Every year there are 900,000 small earthquakes.They are not strong enough for most people to feel them.An earthquake that is 7 or more would be serious.In 2015, more than 8,000 people died in a 7.8 earthquake in Nepal.

At the moment, geologists cannot say when earthquakes will happen, but they can help people to get ready for them.They can also tell people the best way to make buildings that will not fall down when there is an earthquake.

Activity 1

Which word(s) (1-6) go(es) with which meaning (a-g)?

1.fall down 2.ground 3.natural events 4.planet 5.rocks 6.serious

a.something bad that is not enjoyable or funny

b.something large and round that moves round the sun

c.something hard that mountains are made of

d.things that happen in nature, not done by man, for example a forest fire

e.to fall and break into pieces

f.what you stand on, where the floor is

Activity 2

Use the words from Activity 1 to complete these sentences.The words can be plural.

1.Some people think that there might be people who live on other ......................., but we can’t be sure.

2.You can see the moon from ......................., where we live.

3.I was so tired I sat on the .......................to have a rest.

4.If you put lots of books on the top of the chair, they will probably .......................

5.Clare’s teacher said that it was very .......................that she had not done her homework for the fourth time.

6........................like thunderstorms can sometimes cause problems in our village.

7.There were lots of .......................on the beach and we had to climb them to get to the sea.

Activity 3

Are the sentences true or not true?

1.Geology is only about the past.

2.Geologists can help so that natural events don’t happen.

3.Earthquakes happen when the rocks that make the Earth start to move in different directions.

4.An earthquake that is number 2 is not as strong as an earthquake that is number 1.

5.People can’t feel most earthquakes.

6.Geologists can tell us when earthquakes will happen in the future.

Activity 4

When we talk about two things we cancomparethem (say if they are the same or different).

For example:

If the adjective is short (e.g.‘strong’), we add ‘er’:

An earthquake that is a number 2 is ten timesstrongerthan an earthquake that is number 1.

If the adjective is long (like ‘dangerous’), we add ‘more’ - for example: This earthquake was moredangerousthan the last one.

Put a circle around the correct answer:

1.John’s house ismore big / bigger thanours.It has five bedrooms.

2.This village ismore beautiful / beautifulerthan the village where we live, because there are lots of trees and parks.

3.The geologist told us how to make the buildingsafer / more safeif there is an earthquake.

4.For Katie, maths isharder / more hardthan biology.

5.In France, people eat dinnermore early / earlierthan in Spain.

Answers

Activity 1 1.e; 2.f; 3.d; 4.b; 5.c; 6.a

Activity 2 1.planets; 2.Earth; 3.ground; 4.fall down; 5.serious; 6.Natural events; 7.rocks

Activity 3 1.Not True (NT); 2.NT; 3.True (T); 4.NT; 5.T; 6.NT

Activity 4 1.bigger; 2.more beautiful; 3.safer; 4.harder; 5.earlier