Chapter 9

Answers to Science Focus 1 second edition Student Book questions
9.1 Answers
Remembering
1 Inner core 1400 km
Outer core 2300 km
Mantle 2800 km
Crust 8–64 km
Understanding
2 The layer of the Earth upon which all living things are found. It contains the land and seas.
3 The crust is brittle and has cracked into 12 major pieces called tectonic plates. These plates ‘float’
on the semi- molten rock of the asthenosphere. The energy released as these plates push causes
earthquakes.
4 a The inner core of the Earth is kept solid by the high pressure from the weight of the layers
above.
b The movement of iron and nickel in the core give the Earth its magnetic field.
c The crust is extremely thin compared to the volume of the Earth.
d No mines have been created deep enough to go into the mantle.
5 The magnetic field protects us by deflecting large doses of cosmic rays from the Sun, so we will
not burn to death due to the extreme temperature.
Applying
6 a Under continents
b Under oceans
7 a Mantle
b Inner core
c Core
d Outer core
e Crust, lower mantle, inner core
8 Earthquakes and volcanic activity
Analysing
9 100 km = 100 000 m = 10 000 000 cm
10 000 000 ÷ 5 = 2 000 000
It will take 2 million years.
Copyright © Pearson Australia 2010 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4425 1537 6
Evaluating
10 Advantages: Away from the plate boundaries, therefore safe from earthquake and volcanic
activity, and gives scientists the ability to study older rocks and possibly fossils.
Disadvantages: Away from plate boundaries, therefore cannot obtain a better understanding of
plate tectonics and its allotted activities.
11
12 a 55°C
b 185°C
c 350°C
d 685°C
13 a 1 km
b 2.4 km
c 5.4 km
d 8.4 km
Creating
14 100 km = 1 hour
Story will vary but the following information needs to be correct.
Crust takes 4.8 minutes (thinnest part) to 38.4 minutes (thickest part). Condition start with soil
and sand leading to solid rock, which will be brittle and crack easily. Temperature will start from
20°C and reach 500°C as they dig deeper.
Mantle takes 1680 minutes (28 hours). Conditions initially will be similar to the lower crust then
they will hit a narrow semi-molten (soft liquid) layer with extreme heat and pressure.
Outer core takes 1380 minutes (23 hours). Continually moving liquid metal with extreme heat.
Inner core takes 840 minutes (14 hours). This is a solid environment with extreme heat and
pressure.
15
9.1 Practical activity

Prac 1: The crust is like an eggshell
Common mistakes
Instruct students to squeeze the egg gently, as too much pressure will destroy the egg.
Possible results
The cracked shell of the hard-boiled egg models the movement of the tectonic plates on Earth.
Suggested answers
1 Only the shell is cracked (not the whole egg). The shell is still attached to the white of the egg
and the pieces of shell move against each other.
2 The pieces of shell were crumbled more at the edges, and some plates slid over or under others.
3 The shell will move, with one part of the crack going over another piece, giving the effect of the
tectonic plates floating and colliding.
4 Something very much like an earthquake.
9.2 Answers
Remembering
1 a Haematite, kaolin, limonite, charcoal, quartz, mica
b Crystal structure, colour and streak and hardness
c Granite, limestone, sandstone
2 Talc, calcite, apatite, quartz, diamond
Understanding
3 a Studies the Earth, its rocks, ores and minerals.
b Collects rock samples to study their properties and what minerals it contains.
4 a Natural substance in which particles are arranged in patterns and make up rocks, for example
quartz.
b Rocks are substances of Earth made from one or more minerals, for example granite.
c Ores are rocks or minerals that contain elements that can be extracted for profit such as
aluminium.
5 One of the properties used to identify a mineral.
6 Native minerals are made up of only one element whereas other minerals are made up of two or
more elements.
7 Ochres are powdered minerals used by native tribes for decorations and paintings.
8 The mineral is crushed to a powder using a grindstone. The powder is then mixed with egg, juice
or blood to make a paste.
9 a A mineral is any substance found in rocks.
b The two most common elements that make up the Earth are oxygen and silicon.
c Gold and silver are elements, not minerals.
d Mineralogy is the study of the structure and properties of minerals.
Applying
10 a Quartz, feldspar, mica, hornblende
b Gneiss
11 a Haematite
b Bauxite
12 Azurite and chalcopyrite both contain copper.
13 a Yes
b No
c Yes
d Yes
14 a Calcite, Fluorite, Apatite, Orthoclase, Quartz, Topaz, Ruby, Sapphire, Diamond
b Diamond
Analysing
15 An ore can be both because rocks can be made of one mineral, like a native mineral, and this
mineral can be mined or extracted for profit.
Evaluating
16 When compared against Mohs’ scale of hardness, certain pastes could contain substances harder
than silver therefore scratching it.
Creating
17
18 Student responses will vary.
9.2 Practical activities

Prac 1: Making a crystal
Common mistakes
Allowing the copper sulfate solution to cool slowly will produce sufficient crystals for part B.
Possible results
Students grow a crystal and observe its structure.
Suggested answers
1 No more copper sulfate could be dissolved in it.
2 Student drawings.
3 Copper sulfate crystals should have obvious cleavage planes.
Prac 2: Observing rocks

Common mistakes
Some characteristics of rocks and minerals are too small to see. Hand lenses and stereo microscopes
will assist this exercise.
Possible results
Students examine the characteristics of various rocks and minerals.
Suggested answers
1 Depends on the samples available.
2 Student response.
9.3 Answers
Remembering
1 Igneous rocks form when molten material from the Earth cools and becomes solid. Sedimentary
rocks are made from sediments that have been compressed together. Metamorphic rocks are
igneous and sedimentary rocks that have been changed due to heat and/or pressure.
2 a Igneous (granite)
b Sedimentary (limestone)
c Metamorphic (slate)
3 20 000 years old
Understanding
4 Sediments build up in a layer, the pressure of material above squeezes the sediments, this
pressure reduces the air gaps and particles interlock. When water seeps through compressed
sediments it carries minerals to cement the particles together.
5 Labels: Magma (left-hand side), Sediments (right-hand side) and Metamorphic rocks (bottom
oval)
6 Granite boulders can be seen after layers of softer rock above it erode away.
7
8 a Small broken down bits of other rocks or remains of plants and animals.
b Compressing and cementing of sediments.
Applying
9 a Granite and basalt
b
Sedimentary rock Made from

Sandstone Sand
Mudstone Mud
Conglomerate Particles of different size
Limestone Remains of sea animals
Chalk Skeletons of tiny sea animals
Coal Compressed plant material
Metamorphic rock Parent rock

Marble Limestone
Gneiss Granite
Slate Shale
Schist Slate
Gneiss Schist
10 Lava cools more quickly than underground magma because it’s on the Earth’s surface and the
temperature is cooler. The slower the magma/lava cools, the larger the crystals because they have
more time to grow. The faster it cools, the smaller the crystals.
11 Weathering and melting.
Analysing
12 a Magma is molten rock below the Earth’s surface and lava is molten rock that reaches the
Earth’s surface.
b Intrusive rocks are igneous rocks that have squeezed (forced) themselves between other rock
layers, whereas extrusive rocks are those ‘pushed out’ onto the Earth’s surface.
13 a Igneous—basalt.
b Metamorphic—slate.
c Sedimentary—chalk.
d Metamorphic—gneiss.
e Sedimentary—mudstone.
f Igneous—granite.
g Igneous—greenstone.
14 Differences: palaeontologists study the history of the Earth in rocks, whereas geologists study
composition and structure of the Earth.
Similarities: work in laboratories and in the field. They find the age of substances and collect
specimens for analysis.
Evaluating
15 As the slightly acidic rainwater dissolves the calcium carbonate, the solution drips down from the
roof to the floor. So if it drips down along a stalactite the drops left on the floor will build up
directly beneath it into a stalagmite.
16 Coal is made from ancient plant material that has been compressed underground until it forms a
solid, so it is denser and contains more combustible material.
Creating

Prac 1: Crystals and cooling rates
Common mistakes
The cold water level in the 500 mL beaker may have to be adjusted to prevent the small beaker from
floating.
Possible results
The crystals were larger in the beaker that cooled slowly and smaller in the beaker that cooled quickly.
Suggested answers
1 Depends on the students’ results.
2 The size of the crystals should be different— larger in the beaker that cooled slowly, and smaller
in the beaker that cooled quickly.
3 Larger crystals are formed when more time is available for their formation.
Prac 2: Concrete evidence

Common mistakes
To avoid runny mixtures, instruct the students to add a little water at a time.
Possible results
Students make various types of concrete with two or more of the following combinations: cement,
sand, crushed rocks and water.
Suggested answers
1 To reduce the number of variables in the experiment and produce a fair test.
2 Depends on student results.
3 Concrete setting is a chemical change. Some components in the cement react to produce the glue
that holds the concrete together.
9.4 Answers
Remembering
1 Physical—rocks break into smaller pieces due to wind and water.
Chemical—chemical reactions cause rocks to dissolve or change their composition or properties
by substances such as acid rain.
Biological—animals scratching and breaking apart rocks.
2 a Physical
b Chemical
3 Wind, water from rain, creeks and rivers
Understanding
4 a Soil—rock that has been broken down into fine particles.
b Decomposition—breaking down of substances.
c Weathering—breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces.
d Sediments—the material that is formed during weathering and is transported during erosion.
5 Weathering is the process whereby rocks are broken down into sediments and erosion is the
process whereby these sediments are transported.
6 Water expands when it freezes.
7 Yes, because as the water freezes it expands, splitting the glass bottle. When you remove it from
the freezer you can cut yourself or water will seep out of the crack as it defrosts.
8 Student responses will vary. Two examples include:
i Mining has broken down rocks quickly because they sometimes use explosives.
ii Overgrazing and farming has removed grass allowing water and wind to erode the soil.
9 Acid rain can dissolve rocks such as marble, kill trees and make soil too acidic for plant growth,
leaving cleared land for wind and water to erode the exposed soil.
10 Ancient statues are made of marble and acid rain has slowly changed their shape. Parts that are
more likely to come into long-term exposure to acid rain due to collection, such as the base or
grooves like the elbow if arm is bent, will be more likely to change.
11 Factories and transport that release substances that contribute to acid rain are more likely to be
found in cities rather than the country.
12 They measure, record and find strategies to control harmful effects of human activities on our
environment.
Applying
13 a Waves, dramatic changes in temperature and wind.
b Animal scratching, seeds settling in cracks and tree roots forcing cracks wider.
14 Sulfur dioxide is released from the burning of fossil fuels from power stations and factories.
15 Choose to walk or ride a bike rather than drive. Use hybrid cars instead of current ‘normal’
petrol-operated cars.
Analysing
16 Both are broken-down rock particles however boulders are larger pieces compared to sand.
Evaluating
17 Individuals through their choices and actions, and governments by introducing laws and rebates.
Creating

Prac 1: You’re cracking me up!
Common mistakes
Allow the rock to cool completely in between trials.
Possible results
Heating and cooling caused the rocks to rapidly expand, contract and then eventually crack.
Suggested answers
1 Physical weathering.
2 Rapid temperature changes can crack rocks as they try to expand and contract rapidly and
different areas expand and contract at different rates.
3 Water can freeze in cracks in the rock. As the water expands it can force the rock apart and
crack it.
Prac 2: Acid rain

Common mistakes
For part 1 of the experiment, it is important to keep the rock pieces the same size. This will reduce the
number of variables and produce a fair test.
Possible results
Acid can break down some types of rocks more effectively than others. The smaller rocks have a
larger surface area to react with the acid faster.
Suggested answers
1 Chemical weathering.
2 Acid can dissolve some types of rock.
3 Acid attacks small pieces of rock more quickly than large pieces.
9.5 Answers
Remembering
1 Natural
2 a Oxygen
b Nitrogen
c Carbon dioxide
Understanding
3 a Humans live in the troposphere.
b Commercial aircraft travel in the stratosphere.
c Nitrogen is the most common gas in the atmosphere.
d Meteors burn up in the ionosphere.
e The ozone in the stratosphere protects us from UV-rays and gamma rays.
f The ozone layer is part of the stratosphere.
g Weather happens in the troposphere.
h Most of the air is in the troposphere.
4 a The temperature drops from an average of 17°C to −52°C.
b As you reach the top of the stratosphere the temperature increases to −10°C.
c The temperature in the mesosphere drops to about −93°C.
d The ionosphere is an area of increasing temperature.
5 a Oxygen (21%), carbon dioxide (0.03%) and nitrogen (78%)
b Oxygen—a gas that plants and animals breathe
Carbon dioxide—needed by plants for photosynthesis so they can make their own food
Nitrogen—dilutes concentration of oxygen in the air because pure oxygen is poisonous to
plants and animals
6 The greenhouse effect keeps the Earth at a temperature that can support life.
An example: The enhanced greenhouse effect could cause the Australian environment to
experience more natural phenomena, such as droughts and bushfires and the melting of glaciers
in Antarctica could cause flooding of our coastlines and cities.
8 If there is less snow, ski resorts will go out of business, which will affect our economy. Also, the
increased temperature may cause bacteria to grow faster, spreading more diseases.
9 a The statement is wrong because all the layers—troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere,
thermosphere and exosphere—make up the atmosphere.
b The troposphere is a section of the atmosphere.
Applying
10 a Thermosphere
b Mesosphere
c Ionosphere
11 Increased amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
12 a 0.7°C
b 0.3°C
Analysing
13 a The glaciers of Antarctica may melt due to the enhanced greenhouse effect.
b Melted polar caps.
c Flooding of coastlines and cities.
d Forest depletion—fewer trees means less carbon dioxide is used by plants, therefore
increasing its amount in the air.
Burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide as a by product.
Rotting garbage releases carbon dioxide.
e Recycle garbage, create composts and use less technology that relies on the use of fossil fuels.
14 1880–1900
Evaluating
15 Air particles are held around the Earth by gravity.
Creating

Prac 1: An already wet planet
Common mistakes
Estimates of boxes that are half full will introduce errors.
Possible results
Students calculate the percentage of water on the Earth’s surface.
Suggested answers
1 Depends on student’s methods. Students may not have counted water on land if it was only a
small part of the overall results and would not really make a difference.
2 Yes, because it is harder to judge by this method, which has errors and inaccuracies.
3 Estimates of boxes that are half full or not and whether to count them will introduce errors.
Students may miss part of the total globe if not accurately mapping their progress. This is an
estimating process and will introduce errors.
Prac 2: An even wetter planet

Common mistakes
Estimation errors.
Possible results
Students calculate what would happen if the sea levels rose.
Suggested answers
1 Mostly small countries and islands.
2 Possible answers: Population would have to move from the coast; much farming land would be
lost; too much population for space available; small island nations would have to find new
homes in other countries; reefs would die in deeper water and ocean ecosystems would change;
lots of refugees, less food; destruction of property and lifestyle.
3 Various answers.
9.6 Answers
Remembering
1 Hurricane in the USA and typhoon in Asia
2 Tradewinds
Understanding
3 a Hot air rises and cool air drops.
b The equator receives more concentrated heat energy from the Sun than the Poles do.
c Hot air circulates to the Poles from the equator.
d Trade winds are global winds.
e All rocks heat up at different rates.
4 Clouds are cooled water vapour that has evaporated from the Earth’s surface. If condensation
forms drops that are heavy enough will fall as rain.
5 The water cycle is the flow of water throughout several layers of the Earth. Water undergoes
evaporation, condensation and precipitation as part of the water cycle.
6 Cyclones begin as intense low clockwise winds over a stretch of ocean.
7 The Poles receive less concentrated heat and light energy from the Sun, so if convection currents
didn’t carry the warm air to these areas they would be colder than the current temperature.
8 The temperature would be higher.
9 Plants take in water from the soil and release water via the stomata through transpiration
(‘sweating’).
10 Water in ecosystems is recycled. Humans release water in their sweat and urine, which becomes
part of the rain and rivers. This means, another human could consume the water once in a
scientist.
11 Meteorologists predict the weather and study the atmosphere so that we can have a better
understanding of the Earth’s climate.
12 i Bitumen road—hot air rises off the bitumen road and moves across to the forest where it will
drop once cooled.
ii The air will move from the land to the sea because land heats up faster than the sea.
iii The winds will move from the black rocks to the sand.
Applying
13 Altocumulus, Stratocumulus, Stratus, Cumulonimbus, Nimbostratus.
14 Land
15 Gliders will find thermals over areas that are dark in colour, such as bitumen roads.
16
Analysing
Evaluating
18 Snow is triggered by high floating dust particles and it could pick up pollution and other particles
as it forms in the atmosphere, making it dangerous to eat.
Creating

Prac 1: Making clouds
Common mistakes
Use the blue flame of the Bunsen burner.
Possible results
Students determine what conditions are needed to make clouds.
Suggested answers
1 Water particles as a gas.
2 It forms water droplets.
3 The water vapour starts to condense as it cools, and molecules are attracted together to form
droplets that float in the air.
Chapter answers
Remembering
1 a False b True
c False d True
e True f True
g False h False
i True j True
k False l False
m False n True
o True p True
q True r True
s True
2 Sedimentary—made from broken-down particles compressed into layers.
Metamorphic—made from other rocks changed by heat and/or pressure.
Igneous—formed from molten material
3 Inner core, outer core, mantle, crust, troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, ionosphere
Understanding
4 a Ionosphere
b Troposphere
c Outer core
d Stratosphere
e Troposphere
f Core
6 a Average temperature is likely to increase leading to an increase in phenomena like melted

glaciers, rising sea levels and natural disasters like drought, floods and bushfires.
b Increase in acid rain will lead to faster weathering of certain rocks.
7 Aborigines used greenstone for the head of weapons like axes and they used minerals called
ochres in powder form to make paints for decorations.
8 a Powdered minerals from weathered rocks used by native tribes are called ochres.
b The mineral is crushed to a powder using a grindstone. The powder is then mixed with egg,
juice or blood to make a paste.
9
Job title Main tasks Skills required

Geologist studying the composition and structure of keep accurate records and prepare reports
the Earth and its natural events like work safely in a number of different
weathering, erosion, earthquakes and environments
volcanoes
work alone and in a team
taking rock samples for analysis
Palaeontologist locating sites where fossils may be found work very carefully and patiently as it can
take years to remove fossils from rocks
carefully digging fossils out of the
sedimentary rocks have a good eye for detail
examining, classifying and describing work as a team member
fossils
Environmental measuring, recording and finding use written communication skills in
scientist methods to control the harmful effects of reports
human activity on the environment apply the scientific method to an
investigation
Job title Main tasks Skills required

work as a team
Greenhouse measuring greenhouse gas emissions communicate with people from many
engineer designing ways to do things better so that different backgrounds.
we can reduce the impact of humans on apply the scientific method to collect and
the environment analyse data
work as a member of different teams
Meteorologist using different scientific instruments to keep accurate records and prepare reports
forecast the weather use written communication skills in
recording and analysing many different reports
types of data analyse and interpret data
using different instruments to gather data
in the field
writing reports
Applying
10 a Talc, gypsum, calcite, fluorite, apatite (any one from the list)
b Quartz, topaz, ruby, sapphire, diamond
11 a
12 Copper
13 Sedimentary: limestone—concrete, coal—fossil fuel.
Igneous: granite—bench tops, greenstone —Aboriginal tools.
Metamorphic: slate—roofing, marble—statues.
14
15
Analysing
16 Nimbostratus, cumulonimbus, stratus, stratocumulus, altocumulus, cirrus, cirrocumulus, cumulus
17 a Minerals are natural substance that form rocks.
b Minerals have a distinctive crystal structure.
c Pigment refers to the colour of the mineral in its compound whereas the streak is the colour of
the mineral in its powder form.
d Ores are minerals that are extracted from rocks for profit.
18 Calcite, quartz, topaz, corundum
19 a Sedimentary
b Sedimentary
c Igneous
d Sedimentary
e Sedimentary
f Metamorphic
g Igneous
Evaluating
20 Ice in Antarctica traps gas particles as snow falls. This gas can be studied and compared over the
years. The current level of carbon dioxide in the ice is above 350 ppm, whereas in the past it has
been between 200 and 275 ppm. This is a 31% increase since 1750.
Ice cores and the growth rings of trees show that the average temperature of Earth’s surface has
been increasing and it is at the highest level ever.
Coral bleaching occurs when sea temperatures increase above 30°C. Over the past decade there
has been an increase in the amount of coral bleaching.
The most convincing piece of evidence is the amount of carbon dioxide trapped within ice drills
of Antarctica.

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Chapter 9

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Answers to Science Focus 1 second edition Student Book questions

9.1 Practical activity

18 Student responses will vary.

9.2 Practical activities

Prac 2: Observing rocks

3 20 000 years old

Sedimentary rock Made from

Metamorphic rock Parent rock

9.3 Practical activities

Prac 2: Concrete evidence

9.4 Practical activities

Prac 2: Acid rain

9.5 Practical activities

Prac 2: An even wetter planet

9.6 Practical activities

6 a Average temperature is likely to increase leading to an increase in phenomena like melted

Job title Main tasks Skills required

Job title Main tasks Skills required

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