Rapid Processes Change

Landforms
jScience Matters
Earth Science Unit 4.1
Look carefully at the following
4 photos of La Conchita.

Describe the hillside.

Before
This is the same location.
Describe what you see.
Mount Saint Helens the day before it
erupted.
The thin outer layer
of the earth is called
the “crust” and it
forms the Earth’s
surface.

A volcano is an
opening in the
Earth’s crust that
allows the molten
rock, magma, to rise
up from the Earth’s
interior.
 Mount St. Helens during its eruption.
Magma gets collected
in the Magma
chamber of the
volcano and bursts
out with a lot of force
through the opening
spilling on the the
outside ground. This
is called a volcanic
Eruption

Here, you can see the

erupting ash.
The eruption left behind a large crater.
Before and After a Volcanic Eruption

What changes do you see in the landscape?

 Earthquake
Earthquakes are tremors in the
ground, created by the sudden
movement of the earth’s crust.

It starts deep underground and

spreads like the ripples in a
pond.

Most Earthquakes are mild and

undetected.

The shockwaves may be strong

enough to cause cracks in the
earth, buildings to fall, or even
mountains to rise.
Before and After an Earthquake
 Tsunami
When an
Earthquake
happens under
the ocean, the
shock waves can
cause a surge of
water.

Walls of water can

travel across the
ocean and reach
land, causing a
tsunami.
Before and After a Tsunami
Before and After a Tornado
Before and After a Landslide
 THE EARTH IS EVER CHANGING, SHIFTING AND
REMOLDING ITSELF.

Rapid Processes with examples of locations

• Landslides... La Conchita, Japan
• Earthquakes...San Francisco
• Tsunami...Japan
• Volcanoes...Mt. Fuji, Mt. Etna, Mauna Kea,
Mt. St. Helens
• Tornadoes…Midwestern region of the US