MS-ESS2-2 - Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

Clarification Statement - Emphasis is on how processes change Earth’s surface at time and spatial scales that can be large (such as slow plate motions or the uplift of large mountain ranges) or small (such as rapid landslides or microscopic geochemical reactions), and how many geoscience processes (such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and meteor impacts) usually behave gradually but are punctuated by catastrophic events. Examples of geoscience processes include surface weathering and deposition by the movements of water, ice, and wind. Emphasis is on geoscience processes that shape local geographic features, where appropriate.

7.MS-ESS2-2 - Construct an explanation based on evidence for how Earth’s surface has changed over scales that range from local to global in size.

Clarification Statement - Examples of processes occurring over large, global spatial scales include plate motion, formation of mountains and ocean basins, and ice ages. Examples of changes occurring over small, local spatial scales include earthquakes and seasonal weathering and erosion.