The Triple Threat: Weathering Erosion Deposition Quiz

If weathering is the process of breaking rock into smaller pieces (sediment) and erosion is the process of transporting that sediment to a new location, then the primary difference is that weathering is the "breaker" while erosion is the "mover."

If sediment is being carried by wind or water and that medium slows down or loses energy, then the sediment will fall out and settle; this specific act of "depositing" material is called deposition.

If physical weathering only breaks a rock into smaller pieces of the same material without changing its molecular structure, then the chemical composition remains the same; therefore, the statement is false.

If chemical weathering requires a chemical reaction to alter the rock's minerals, and acid rain reacts with the calcium carbonate in limestone to dissolve it, then acid rain is a form of chemical weathering.

If a river slows down as it enters a larger body of water and can no longer carry its load of sediment, then it will drop that sediment; if sediment is dropped at the river's mouth, it forms a landform called a delta via deposition.

If water enters a crack and freezes, and if water expands when it turns into ice, then the pressure will force the crack wider; this specific mechanical process is known as ice wedging.

If an agent of erosion must be able to pick up and transport sediment, and if gravity, water, wind, and ice all move material from one place to another, then they are agents of erosion; sunlight only provides heat and does not transport rock.

If rocks are carried by water or wind and bump into each other, and if those collisions wear down sharp edges, then the rocks will become smoother over time; this process is called abrasion.

If a constructive process is one that creates or builds new land features, and if deposition adds sediment to an area to create things like beaches or dunes, then deposition is a constructive process.

If a glacier acts like a bulldozer moving rock and dirt, and if it leaves that material behind in ridges or mounds when it melts, then those specific deposits are called moraines.

If weathering breaks large rocks into tiny fragments, and if those fragments are the raw material for erosion and deposition, then these small pieces are scientifically referred to as sediment.

If oxygen reacts with iron minerals inside a rock to form iron oxide, and if iron oxide is commonly known as rust, then the process causing this change is oxidation.

If a landslide involves material moving downward on a slope, and if gravity is the force that pulls all objects toward the center of the Earth, then gravity is the primary force driving mass wasting.

If erosion is the transport of sediment, and if sediment must first be created by breaking down solid rock, then weathering (the breaking process) must logically happen before the sediment is available to be moved.

If a river carves a V-shape due to its narrow flow, but a glacier is a massive, wide block of ice that scours the bottom and sides of a valley equally, then the resulting shape will be a wide U-shape.

If wind carries sand and then slows down behind an obstacle, and if the sand falls out of the air and piles up, then the dune is created by the act of dropping the sand, which is deposition.

If chemical reactions generally occur faster in heat and require water as a reactant or solvent, and if plants produce acids that break down rock, then high heat, rain, and vegetation will increase the rate of chemical weathering.

If rocks in a river are constantly tumbled against each other by the current, and if this friction wears away the sharp corners, then the rocks will eventually become smooth and round through abrasion.

If groundwater contains weak acids and limestone dissolves easily in acid, then as the water flows through cracks underground, it will eat away the rock; if enough rock is dissolved, a large open space or cave is formed.

If plant roots hold soil in place and leaves block the wind, then plants act as a shield against erosion; therefore, wind erosion is actually least effective in vegetated areas and most effective in dry, bare areas.