Catastrophism

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/catastrophism

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is catastrophism?Catastrophism is the idea that Earth's shape and life have been changed by sudden, powerful events like big floods or earthquakes, instead of only slow changes.
2. Why did scientists think Earth had big shakes?Scientists noticed that layers of rocks and fossils change abruptly, which suggests that fast, violent events once happened and reshaped the planet.

Catastrophism: A geological theory proposing that Earth's history is shaped by sudden, violent, and large-scale disruptive events rather than slow, gradual changes.
Uniformitarianism: The geological principle that the same natural laws and processes that operate now have always operated in the past, implying slow, continuous change.
Fossil Record: The historical sequence of life on Earth as revealed by fossils preserved in rock layers, used to infer past environments and evolutionary events.
Mass Extinction: A widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth, often caused by catastrophic environmental changes.