Soils have properties of color and texture, capacity to retain water and ability to support the growth of many kinds of plants, including those in our food supply. Other Earth materials are used to construct buildings, make plastics and provide fuel for generating electricity and operating cars and trucks. The surface of the Earth changes. Some changes are due to slow processes, such as erosion and weathering, and some changes are due to rapid processes such as landslides, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and nature of the environment at that time.
Rocks are part of the earth's composition.
Prehistoric animals provide information about things that lived in the past. The University of Tennessee at Martin and the Tennessee Department of Education are not responsible for the information or views expressed here.