Chalk is made from the tiny, tiny skeletons and shells of sea creatures that lived a long, long time ago!
Here's how it works:
- Tiny Sea Creatures: Imagine teeny-tiny animals and plants living in the ocean. Many of them have hard shells made of something called calcium carbonate.
- When They Die: When these creatures die, their shells sink to the bottom of the ocean.
- Ooze Time! Over millions of years, these shells build up and build up and build up. This collection of shells and skeletons is called "ooze." Think of it like a very, very fine sediment.
- Turning to Stone: As more and more ooze piles up, the pressure from above squeezes it together. This pressure, over a very long time, turns the ooze into a type of rock we call chalk.
- Land Ahoy!: Earthquakes and other Earth movements can eventually push these chalk beds up to become land that we can see and walk on!
So, when you use chalk, you're using something that was once part of a tiny sea creature!