Why are These Desert Rocks Changing?

Scattered across the hot deserts of the Southwest U.S., features like this can be found among the landscape. Use the phenomenon below to help you answer the questions that follow.
NGSS Phenomena: A large, tall group of rocks in a desert, with smaller rocks and piles of dirt near the base.
Graeme Maclean, Flickr.com

1. The processes that formed the rock that makes up this feature likely occurred over and the processes that formed the dirt that we see on the bottom of the rock likely occurred over .

Drag the answers below into the grey placeholders above

thousands of years
millions or billions of years
tens of years

2. Two processes that you’d expect to have a measurable effect on this feature over the next 10 years are and .

Drag the answers below into the grey placeholders above

plate tectonics
earthquakes
hurricanes
sedimentation
mountain building
glaciers
wind
rain

3. Based on the dirt and rocks at the base of this feature, what force is most likely responsible for the greatest change in its shape?

4. Write a claim to explain how a geological force could lead to what we're seeing in this image.

This answer should only involve a Claim. We’ll ask you to cite Evidence and Reasoning in separate questions. (hide hints)

5. What evidence can you cite to support your claim, either from what you’ve learned or what you’ve observed yourself?

This answer should only include Evidence. We’ll also ask you to explain your Reasoning in a separate question. (hide hints)

6. Explain the reasoning that shows how your evidence supports your claim.

Refer back to your Claim and Evidence! (hide hints)

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This matching question aligns to the following standards

  • ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems

  • Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

  • MS-ESS2-2

This matching question aligns to the following standards

  • MS-ESS2-2

  • ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems

This multiple choice question aligns to the following standards

  • ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems

  • ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

  • MS-ESS2-2

This free response question aligns to the following standards

  • ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems

  • ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

  • MS-ESS2-2

  • Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

This free response question aligns to the following standards

  • MS-ESS2-2

  • ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

This free response question aligns to the following standards

  • ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems

  • ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes

  • MS-ESS2-2

  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

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