WEEK

1 Earthquakes and Faults

Lesson
I
In this lesson, you will be using models or illustrations to explain how
movements along faults generate earthquakes.
Take time to read this article about the earthquake that happens in Luzon.
“5.3-magnitude quake hits Luzon, Philippines”
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 jolted Luzon of the
Philippines on Sunday morning, the US Geological Survey said. The epicenter,
with a depth of 86.86 km, was initially determined to be at 14.0476 degrees north
latitude and 120.525 degrees east longitude.

The three widely felt earthquakes shook the Philippines today, but it’s
unclear if they triggered each other. The earthquake, which struck at 3.18am.
local time on Sunday, was centered in the sea, about 31km (20 miles) northeast of
Lubang Island, or 89km (55 miles) west of Calamba and 65km (41 miles)
southwest of Balanga.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said

the quake measured 5.5 and struck at a depth of 85km (53 miles), which is
relatively deep. There is no threat of a tsunami but aftershocks are likely,
according to PHIVOLCS.

Shaking from the earthquake was felt across the region, including in
Manila and Quezon City, where some said the tremors were strong enough to
wake them. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The
Philippines is on the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, an arc of fault lines circling the
Pacific Basin which are prone to frequent and large earthquakes. Volcanic
eruptions also occur frequently in the region. - The Philippines Daily Inquirer/
Asian News Network, May 16, 2020.
What is an Earthquake?
An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault. The tectonic
plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction.
When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that
releases in the form of energy in waves that travel through the earth's interior
and crust that cause the shaking that we feel. Have you experienced an
earthquake?

What is a Fault?
A fault is a fracture or zone of
fractures between two blocks of rock. Faults
allow the blocks to move relative to each
other. This movement may occur rapidly, in
the form of an earthquake or may occur
slowly, in the form of creep. Faults may
range in length from a few millimeters to
thousands of kilometers. Most faults
produce repeated displacements over
geologic time. See figure 1, can you point out
where the fault is?
How do faults produce quakes?
Energy from Earth’s interior makes the ground move. Friction hold the rocks
together. Once the friction is overcome, the ground will move and the earthquake
will occur. Earthquakes are caused when faults slip suddenly.
Friction between the two sides of a fault keeps it from moving until the stress
on the fault overcomes the friction, then the fault slips and creates an
earthquake.

Types of Faults
Faults are classified according to movement of two blocks. There are three
types of faults namely:
(1) Normal Fault; 2()Reverse Fault, and (3) Strike-Slip Fault.

1. Normal Fault

A dip-slip fault in which

the block above the fault has
moved downward relative to the
block below. This type of faulting
occurs in response to extension.
“Occurs when the “hanging wall”
moves down relative to the “foot
wall”.

Reverse Fault
2. A dip-slip fault in which the
upper block, above the fault plane,
moves up and over the lower block.
This type of faulting is common in
areas of compression, When the dip
angle is shallow, a reverse fault is
often described as a thrust fault.
“Occurs where the “hanging wall”
moves up or is thrust over the “foot
wall”.

3. Strike-Slip Fault

A fault on which the two blocks

slide past one another. The San
Andreas Fault is an example of a
right lateral fault
There are two types of Strike-slip fault movement.

1. A left lateral strike-slip fault

If you were to stand on the fault

and look along its length, this is
a type of strike-slip fault where
the left block moves toward you
and the right block moves away.

2. A right lateral strike-slip fault

If you were to stand on

the fault and look along its
length, this is a type of strike-
slip fault where the right block
moves toward you and the left
block moves away.

What Are the Types of Stresses in the Earth's Crust?

The Earth has three layers, the crust, the mantle and the core. The Earth’s
crust is like the shell of an egg; it is the thinnest of the Earth’s layers. The crust is
broken into several parts, known as the continental plates. When the plates are
pulled or pushed together, stress occurs. Four types of stresses affect the Earth’s
crust: compression, tension, shear and confining stress.
1. Compression Stress
Compression is a type of stress that causes the rocks to push or squeeze
against one another. It targets the center of the rock and can cause either
horizontal or vertical orientation. In horizontal compression stress, the crust can
thicken or shorten. In vertical compression stress, the crust can thin out or break
off. The force of compression can push rocks together or cause the edges of each
plate colliding to rise. Mountains are a result of high-impact compression stress
caused when two plates collided.
2. Tension Stress
Tension is the opposite of compression. While compression forces the rocks
and crust to collide and move together, tension forces the rocks to pull apart.
Tension can happen in two ways. Two separate plates can move farther away from
each other, or the ends of one plate can move in different directions. Some
scientists think tension stress caused the ancient, massive continent Pangaea to
break off into the seven continents we have today.
3. Shear Stress

When shear stress occurs, the force of the stress pushes some of the crust
in different directions. When this happens, a large part of the crust can break off,
which makes the plate size smaller. Shear stress usually happens when two plates
rub against each other as they move in opposite directions. The friction of a shear
stress at the edges of the plate can cause earthquakes.
4. Confining Stress

When stress is applied to all sides of the crust, confining stress occurs.
When this happens, the crust compacts, which makes it look smaller. If the stress
is too much for the crust to handle, the crust can fracture from the inside. This
causes the crust weight to decrease but the crust shape remains the same.
Because this type of stress can hollow out the insides of the crust, confining
stress can cause sinkholes in the Earth.
 The Quake Starts WEEKS
2-3
Lesson
I
One of the most frightening natural phenomena is the earthquake.
Sadly, the Philippines is always hit by tremendous earthquakes that causes great
damage to the environment, infrastructures and also results to loss of lives.
In this lesson, you will learn the concepts that you can use to
differentiate the epicenter of an earthquake from its focus; intensity of an
earthquake from its magnitude; and active from inactive faults.
No one can stop earthquakes from happening. But there are things that
people can do to avoid or reduce loss of life and damage to properties. The first
step is to have a clear understanding of the occurrence of earthquakes.
Have you experienced a strong earthquake? What did you do? If not, you
can even ask your parents to tell you their experiences during a strong
earthquake.
At the end of the lesson you should be able to differentiate the epicenter
and focus of an earthquake, describe an earthquake in terms of its intensity and
magnitude and define and identify the different active faults and inactive faults in

Where does an earthquake start?

The breaking of the rocks will start at the point where the rocks are
weakest. This spot where the first break occurs is called the focus or hypocenter
(hypo means under or beneath).The focus is the origin or the center of the
earthquake. It is located underground.
A point on the surface of the earthquake which is directly above the focus
of an earthquake and where the earthquake vibrations reach first is called
epicenter (epi means surface). The most violent shaking occurs here (see Figure

Figure 1.

How Strong is the Earthquake?

An earthquake may be described in two ways: intensity and magnitude.
The intensity of an earthquake gives us an idea of how strong or weak the
shaking is or simply by describing the effects of earthquake on people or
surroundings. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and seismology
(PHIVOLCS) uses the PEIS or PHILVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale to
describe the intensity of earthquakes in the Philippines (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. PHILVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS)
 Another way of describing the strength of an earthquake is by magnitude.
The Richter scale – also called the Richter magnitude scale is a measure of the
energy released. The greater the magnitude, the stronger the earthquake.

To distinguish the two, intensity is expressed using Roman Numeral (I, II,
II) while magnitude uses Hindu-Arabic numerals (2, 3, 4)

Earthquakes with a magnitude of 2 may or may not be felt. Those that are
felt by most people have a magnitude of 4. Magnitude 6 can lead to a lot of
damage in highly populated areas.
Earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 can cause severe damage. A
magnitude of 8 or 9 results in widespread destruction, especially near the
epicenter. Luckily only one or two occur every year.
WEEKS
The Earth
4-5
I Lesson

You learned how faults are found not only on land but also in the bodies
of water. When a fault at the bottom of the sea suddenly moves, the water above
it can be affected. A sudden push from an underwater fault can produce a wave
called a tsunami.

Unlike a wave that is formed by the wind, a tsunami is so much more

powerful. Wind waves are just sea-surface waves. In comparison, a tsunami
involves the whole depth of the sea, from the seafloor to the surface.

Far from the shore, a tsunami is low, maybe just a meter high. But it
travels at the speed of a jet plane. When the tsunami reaches the shore, it slows
down but it grows in height.

So, how are earthquakes related to tsunamis? When a fault suddenly

moves on land, you experience an earthquake. But if a fault suddenly moves in
or near a body of water, you may experience a tsunami in addition to the
earthquake.

Thus, when you are near the sea and you feel a strong earthquake, treat
that as a warning signal. Run to the highest place you can find, or if you have a
vehicle, evacuate inland.

Not every fault movement beneath the sea will produce a tsunami. Those
faults that move in a horizontal direction or sideways will not result in a
tsunami. The fault has to move in the vertical direction.

In this lesson, you will learn how earthquake waves that provide
information about the interior of the earth.
 Body waves refer to the vibrations that travel through the interior of the
earth. The two types of body waves are primary waves or P waves and secondary
waves or S waves. P waves push rocks in the direction they are travelling and they
travel in all states of matter while S waves displace rocks at right angles to the
direction they are travelling. S waves cannot pass through liquids. Surface waves
refer to vibrations that travel at the surface of the earth. They can also travel at
the surface of the mantle and core. The two types of surface waves are the
Rayleigh waves and Love waves. Surface waves cause the damage incurred during
an earthquake.
Seismic Waves provide information about the interior of the Earth
P waves travel through solids and liquids, but they travel faster through
solids. Changes in the speed of earthquake vibrations give scientists an idea of the
physical properties of various depths of the earth’s interior.

Refer to the diagram above. The lithosphere, composed of the crust and the
uppermost part of the mantle is solid. Seismic waves travel fast through this rocky
sphere. Below the lithosphere, the seismic waves slow down. This observation
indicates a very high temperature that melts rocks, making the molten behave like
a fluid. Scientists call this region of the mantle asthenosphere. Below the
asthenosphere, seismic waves travel fast again indicating that the lower part of
the mantle is solid. It is probably the very high pressure that keeps it solid in spite
of the high temperature. A similar phenomenon is observed in the core. Seismic
waves travel slowly through the outer core indicating that it is molten due to the
extremely high temperature. Then again the inner core is solid in spite of the very
high temperature. Most probably, the very high pressure in the deepest part of the
earth keeps it solid.
 Understanding Typhoons WEEK
Lesson 6
I
This lesson will help you to understand the concept of typhoon
formation. After going through this lesson, you are expected to explain how
typhoon develops and how it is affected by landmasses and bodies of water.
Typhoons can hit the Philippines any time of year, with the months of
June to September being most active, and May the least active. No part of the
country is spared. All provinces have been visited by a typhoon specially part of
Eastern Visayas, Bicol region and northern Luzon. Recently, on December 2019
super typhoon Tisoy hits the Philippines and many people need to evacuates to
prevent deaths. According to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), an average of 20 tropical
cyclones enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) every year. We have to
be knowledgeable and always ready about tropical cyclones to prevent loss and
damages.
What is a Typhoon?
Tropical cyclone, also called typhoon or “bagyo” in our country, an intense
circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans, is characterized by low
atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain.

Figure 1. A supertyphoon as seen from high above the Earth; at the center is the “eye”
of the supertyphoon. Image by the guardian.com

The picture above shows how strong the typhoon is, we can see the white
clouds in a spiral motion and the wind spin that rotates in a counter-clockwise
direction.

The term typhoon is used only in the northwestern part of the

Pacific Ocean. In the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and in the northern
part of the Atlantic Ocean, the equivalent term is hurricane. Thus, a hurricane on
one side of the Pacific Ocean will be called a typhoon if it crosses into the other
side.

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal

When PAGASA monitors the tropical cyclones enter the PAR and it is
constantly in motion, generally toward the Philippines then it is time to
issue warning signals. The Public Storm Warning Signal Number over a
threatened or affected locality may be sequentially upgraded or downgraded.
Refer for Table 2, a Revised Public Storm Warning System.
 Inner Rain band

Eye

Outer Rain Band

Category Maximum Speed kilometer per hour (kph)

Tropical Depression 64
Tropical Storm 118
Typhoon 200
Super typhoon Greater than 200

Table 1. Tropical Cyclone Categories

Philippine Area of Responsibility

Lead Time Winds
PSWS Impact of the Wind
(hrs) (kph)
#1 36 30 - 60 No damage to very light damage

#2 24 62 - 120 Light to moderate damage

#3 18 121 - 170 Moderate to heavy damage

#4 12 171 - 220 Heavy to very heavy heavy damage

#5 12 More than 220 Very heavy to widespread damage

Table 2. Revised Public Storm Warning System

WEEK
7 Tracking the Path of a Tropical Cyclone

Lesson
I
You all know that the Philippines is very vulnerable to extreme weather
conditions because of its geographical location. According to PAGASA around 20
tropical cyclones enter the PAR each year and some cause destructions to lives
and properties. But what makes the Philippines a front liner in some of the most
destructive typhoons? Our country lies along the west pacific basin which has the
warmest ocean temperature in the world.
In this lesson, you will learn how to trace the path of typhoons that
enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) using a map and a
tracking data.
Tropical cyclones need water vapor in order to form. But not all parts of
ocean can provide water vapor, thus tropical cyclones require warm ocean waters
to be able to develop. According to scientists, the temperature of ocean water must
be 26.5° C or greater. From the maps, you can see that the tropical cyclones
generally move in a northwest direction. The reason is because there are large
scale winds that push the tropical cyclones in that direction. This is similar to the
way a whirlpool is carried along by a flowing stream.
Questions:
1. Which is a better source of tropical cyclone, water vapor, landmasses or ocean?
2. Where do you think will evaporation be greatest, near the equator or away from
the equator?
3. Do you think typhoons can form in latitudes away from the equator? Why or
why not?

D
Learning Task No. 1. Study the maps below. They tell us the tracks (path) of
four cyclones that entered the PAR in the past years. Using the maps, answer the
given questions that follow:

Fig. 1 Tracks of selected tropical cyclones Source: Grade 8 Science Learner’s Module
Questions:
1. Where did the tropical cyclones form?? On land or in the ocean?
2. What can you say about the temperatures of the bodies of water in the vicinity
of the Philippines? Is the water warm or cold?
3. In what direction did the tropical cyclones move?
4. Which part of the Philippines was hit by the four (4) tropical cyclones?

In the case of Agaton, Yoyong, and Huaning, where did they die out? Near
land or in the middle of the ocean?
B. Picture Analysis
Study each picture below. Answer the question in each item.

1. What does
the picture
show?

Source:http://www.westernpacificweather.com/education/tropical-cyclone- overview/

2.What do you think

is inside the tropical
cyclone?

Source https://panahon.tv/beta/v2/web/blog/2016/11/anatomy-of-a- typhoon/

3. Explain what the

picture is all about.
Source: https://www.ec.gc.ca/ouragans-
hurricanes/default.asp?
lang=En&n=00677163-1
Learning Task 2: Track the location of Tropical Storm Sendong and plot each
latitude – longitude pair on the map with the PAR.

Procedure: Use the latitude and longitude (lat-long) in the table below to track
the Location of Sendong. Plot each lat-long pair on the map with the PAR.

Date: 13-19 DEC 2011

Tropical Storm WASHI or Tropical Storm Sendong

1 6.00 145.10 12/13/06Z 25 TROPICAL DEPRESSION

2 6.40 143.30 12/13/12Z 30 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
3 6.00 141.70 12/14/18Z 30 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
4 5.90 140.60 12/14/00Z 30 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
5 6.20 139.00 12/14/06Z 35 TROPICAL STORM
6 6 6.70 137.70 12/14/12Z 35 TROPICAL STORM
7 7.00 136.30 12/14/18Z 35 TROPICAL STORM
8 7.20 134.30 12/15/00Z 30 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
9 7.60 132.30 12/15/06Z 35 TROPICAL STORM
10 7.70 130.80 12/15/12Z 40 TROPICAL STORM
11 7.50 129.10 12/15/18Z 40 TROPICAL STORM
12 7.40 128.10 12/16/00Z 45 TROPICAL STORM
13 8.00 126.80 12/16/06Z 45 TROPICAL STORM
14 8.40 125.50 12/16/12Z 50 TROPICAL STORM
15 8.50 123.80 12/16/18Z 45 TROPICAL STORM
16 9.10 122.40 12/17/00Z 55 TROPICAL STORM
16A 9.10 122.40 12/17/00Z 55 TROPICAL STORM
17 9.20 121.50 12/17/06Z 55 TROPICAL STORM
18 9.60 120.40 12/17/12Z 45 TROPICAL STORM
19 10.20 119.00 12/17/18Z 45 TROPICAL STORM
20 10.90 117.60 12/18/00Z 45 TROPICAL STORM
21 10.30 115.70 12/18/06Z 50 TROPICAL STORM
22 9.90 114.60 12/18/12Z 50 TROPICAL STORM
23 9.60 113.90 12/18/18Z 45 TROPICAL STORM
24 9.10 112.90 12/19/00Z 40 TROPICAL STORM
25 9.70 111.90 12/19/06Z 30 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
26 10.50 110.70 12/19/12Z 25 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/w_pacific/2011H/index.php
Guide Questions:
1. When did Sendong enter the PAR?
2. When did sending leave the PAR?
3. In what direction did Sendong move?

Learning Task 3: Consider the two

given illustrations. The top one shows a
tropical cyclone as seen at an angle.
White rain bands move around the
center or “eye”. The bottom illustration
shows a cross-section of a tropical
cyclone. It is like slicing it in half and
looking at it from the side. Give your
inference on how the typhoon
generates its strong winds.

Guide Questions:

Location A is within the eye of the tropical cyclone. B, C and D are

locations that are more distant from the eye. The air pressure at different
locations are as follows:
Location A B C D
Air pressure in millibars(mb) 930 960 980 990

1. Compare the air pressure of A, B, C and D. What do you notice?

2. Location E is within the eye of the tropical cyclone. Location F is within the
clouds surrounding the eye. The clouds at F make up the eye wall. The wind
speeds at the two locations are:
Location E F
Wind speed (km/hour) 10 200

3. Compare the wind speed within the eye and at the eye wall. What can you
say?

E
Learning Task 4: Use the latitude and longitude (lat-long) in the table
below to track the location of Super typhoon Yolanda. Plot each lat-long pair on
the map with the PAR.
Month/Date/Time Latitude (°N) Longitude (°E)

11/9/13 - 10:42:53 11.0533 124.0291

11/9/13 - 11:12:47 10.7019 122.4698

11/9/13 - 11:24:23 7.0967 125.6309

11/10/13 - 06:43:49 10.3164 123.8811

11/10/13 - 08:35:12 10.3408 123.9033

Figure 7. Map of the Philippines and vicinity Source: Grade 8 Science Learner’s Module
WEEK
8 Comets, Asteroids and Meteoroids
I Lesson

In this lesson, you will understand the characteristics of comets, meteors

and asteroids. After going through this lesson, you are expected to compare and
contrast the comets, meteors and asteroids, predict the appearance of comets
based on recorded data of previous, and explain the regular occurrence of meteor
showers.
Recent advances in space technology have allowed scientists coming from
different background such as physics, chemistry, biology, and geology to
collaborate on studying Near-Earth Objects (NEO) such as comets and asteroids.
With more powerful telescopes and space probes, the study of comets and
asteroids provides more clues about the origins of our solar system. Over the past
three years, amateur and professional astronomers have discovered several NEOs
that came close to Earth, the most recent asteroid being Asteroid 2012 DA14. It
made a very close approach to Earth as it orbited the Sun on February 16, 2012
(Philippine Time). In the morning of the same day, an asteroid entered Earth’s
atmosphere and exploded over Lake Chebarkul in Russia hurting about 1,000
people in the process. These two events triggered superstitions, fears, and
doomsday prophecies held by different cultures.
Comets and asteroids are referred to by astronomers as Near-Earth
Objects (NEO). Comets are icy bodies or objects while asteroids are rocky
fragments. Comets and asteroids are the remnants from the formation of the solar
system 4.6 billion years ago.
The table below summarizes the similarities and differences between
comets and asteroids.
Table 1. Comparison of some characteristics of comets and asteroids.

Characteristic Comet Asteroid

Origin Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud Main Asteroid Belt
Shape Varied/Irregular Varied/Irregular
Size range of 1-10 (nucleus only) 1 – 100++
diameter (kilometer)
Chemical Ice (frozen water); frozen gases (ammonia, Silicates (olivine and
composition methane, and carbon dioxide); other organic compounds pyroxene), iron, nickel
(Carbon-containing compounds)
Orbit Highly elliptical More rounded
Orbital period (years) 75 to 100,000++ 1-100

Comets and asteroids have irregular shapes and varied sizes. They both
reflect light from the sun at varying amounts depending on the size and
composition. Silicates are minerals which contain the elements silicon, oxygen
and at least one metal which is responsible for comets and asteroids to be able
to reflect light.

Comet Asteroid
 Comet and asteroids both orbit the sun. Comets usually come from the
Oort Cloud which is beyond our solar system, and a few from Kuiper Belt which
is just beyond Neptune’s orbit. Long-period comets come from the Oort Cloud,
while short-period comets come from Kuiper Belt.

Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud Main Asteroid Belt

Learning Task 1: Identify if the statement is True or False. Write their

corresponding numbers on the TRUE or FALSE box below.
1. A comet is a ball of mostly iced that moves around in the outer space.
2. Comets are believed to be in long elliptical orbits.
3. Comets can come back into view from time to time.
4. Comets are same with meteors.
5. Asteroids orbit the sun.

TRUE FALSE

Read the paragraphs below. Prepare a summary for each paragraph. Write your
answer in your answer sheet.
Comet Halley is the most famous comet of the 20 th
century. Only known as the short-period comet. It takes 75-
79 years for Comet Haley to orbit the Sun. Comets are
actually dark and invisible. When the comet is near the
sun, it becomes visible because tails are formed. When a
comet is approaching the sun, its ion tail is behind it but
Comet Haley when it is moving away from the sun, its ion tail goes ahead
of it. Halley's Comet will next appear in the night sky in the
year 2062. Halley's Comet was recorded by Edmund Halley in 1682. It was seen
again in 1758, 1835, 1910, and 1986.
Most asteroids, on the other hand, originate from the Main
Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. This belt is
theorized by scientists as remnants of a planet that did not
completely form. The orbit of an asteroid is more rounded
and less elliptical than the orbit of a comet. In February
2013, Asteroid 2012 DA14 made a very close
Asteroid 2012 DA14
approach to Earth as it orbited the Sun.
 Distance in space is measured in light years
and this asteroid was just 0.4 light year away from
Earth, the closest distance that any asteroid has ever
been to Earth. In December 2012, during the midst of
the doomsday prophecies, Asteroid Toutatis also made
a near approach to Earth but not as close as Asteroid
2012 DA14.
Asteroid Toutatis

On the other hand, meteoroid is a small rock or

particle debris in the solar system. Ranging in
size from dust to around 10 meters in
diameters. Meteoroids often enter the Earth’s
atmosphere. A meteoroid that burns up as it
passes through the Earth’s atmosphere is
known as a meteor (shooting star). A meteoroid
that survives falling through the Earth
atmosphere and colliding with the Earth
surface is known as a meteorite. Approximately
500 meteorites reach the Earth’s surface every
year but of those only around 5 ever make it to scientists for study. The Earth’s
atmosphere experiences millions of meteors every day. When many meteors occur
in a close time frame in the same part of the sky it is called a meteor shower.
Learning Task 2: Complete the following table. answer the questions below.
Object Description Location/Movement
Comet
Asteroid
Meteoroid
1. Explain what happen to a meteoroid in order for it to become a meteorite.
2. How can you distinguish asteroids from a comet?
From the list below, choose the term that best completes each sentence.
Asteroid Asteroid Belt Comet
Meteor Meteoroid Meteorite
3. When a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, friction causes it to burn up and
produce a streak of light called a(n).
4. A chunk of ice and dust whose orbit is usually a long narrow ellipse is a(n).

5. If a meteoroid hits Earth’s surface, it is called a(n). .

6. An object that revolves around the sun, but is too small to be considered a
planet, is a(n). .
7. A chunk of rock or dust in space that usually comes from a comet or an
asteroid is called a(n).
8. The region of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter is known
as the .
Learning Task 3: Read and understand the given information below. Fill out the
Venn diagram. Write your answer in your answer sheet. Have your parents/
guardian sign your work.
There is a huge asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that has millions of
asteroids in it. Asteroids are small “bodies” that orbit a larger object in space. But
they are different from the moons of a planet. Asteroids can have carbon, stone or
metal in them.
 A comet is a small object with elliptical orbit hat has collected ice and
cosmic dust and other gases, like helium, methane and hydrogen. As it comes
closer to the sun, it heats up, it blows off all kinds of materials or combustible
materials such as methane that was in the form of ice for next and later release
light that is processed to be the tail of the comet. The most famous comet in the
night sky is Halley’s comet, which orbits once every 78 years.

Comets Asteroids
Comets
&
Asteroids

Made of frozen ice gas and Have long gas tail Also known as planetoids
dust
Made of rock and/or metal Have long dust tail Surrounded by hydrogen cloud
Orbit the Sun Have a long ion tail Have no atmosphere
Ceres is the biggest Have no tail Part of our solar system
Halley is one Highly elliptical orbit Sun grazers are ones that crash into the
sun
Some come close to the Most orbit between Some have hit the Earth
earth Mars and Jupiter

A meteor is a particle of space dust or rock that passes the earth’s

atmosphere in the sky. Meteor showers occur when many pass at the same time.
If a meteor survives and impacts Earth, it is called a meteorite. Most people
commonly refer to them as falling star.
For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education Region 4A CALABARZON Office

Address: Gate 2, Karangalan Village, Cainta, Rizal Landline:

02-8682-5773, locals 420/421

Email Address: lrmd.calabarzon@deped.gov.ph