Earth's Changing Surface Quiz Questions

Mudflow refers to the movement of water mixed with mud. This phenomenon occurs when water saturates the ground, causing the soil to become liquefied and flow downhill. It often happens after heavy rainfall or in areas with volcanic activity. Mudflows can be extremely destructive, as they can carry large amounts of debris, rocks, and vegetation, causing significant damage to property and posing a threat to human life. Therefore, the correct answer is "the movement of water with mud."

Soil depletion refers to the condition when soil loses a significant amount of nutrients that are essential for supporting plant life. This can occur due to various factors such as excessive farming, erosion, and inadequate replenishment of nutrients. When soil becomes depleted, it lacks the necessary nutrients to sustain healthy plant growth, leading to reduced crop yields and overall deterioration of the soil's fertility.

Mechanical weathering refers to the physical breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces without changing their chemical composition. On the other hand, chemical weathering involves the alteration of the chemical composition of rocks through processes such as dissolution, oxidation, and hydrolysis. Therefore, the correct answer states that chemical weathering alters the makeup of each rock while mechanical weathering only breaks rocks apart.

The correct answer is "When rocks scrape together to create sand." Abrasion refers to the process in which rocks rub against each other, causing them to break down into smaller particles, eventually forming sand. This can occur through the movement of water, wind, or ice, which causes the rocks to collide and wear away over time.

The brown or red color of some rocks is due to a chemical reaction with oxygen, known as oxidation. When rocks containing iron minerals are exposed to oxygen, the iron undergoes oxidation, resulting in the formation of iron oxide minerals such as rust. This reaction changes the color of the rocks to brown or red.

The answer is "Subsoil- Redish" because the color of the subsoil is determined by the parent material of the soil. In this case, the parent material of the soil in horizon-B is likely to be rich in iron, which gives the subsoil a reddish color.

Frost wedging is the process that cracked the play dough around the balloon. Frost wedging occurs when water seeps into cracks or pores in a material, such as the play dough, and then freezes. As water freezes, it expands, exerting pressure on the surrounding material. This expansion and pressure can cause the material to crack or break apart, which is what happened to the play dough in this case.

The correct answer is "The weathering of rocks that moves with water." This is because transported soil is formed through the process of weathering, where rocks are broken down into smaller particles by physical, chemical, and biological means. The movement of water, such as rivers or streams, can then carry these weathered particles and deposit them in new locations, resulting in transported soil.

The given answer, "All of the above," is correct because all the statements mentioned in the question are true for topsoil. Topsoil is typically dark brown or black in color, composed of fine particles, and contains minerals mixed with humus. Therefore, all of the given statements accurately describe the characteristics of topsoil.

A volcanic neck refers to the top of a volcano that is filled with igneous rock. When a volcano becomes dormant or extinct, the magma inside it cools and solidifies, forming a hard plug of igneous rock. Over time, the surrounding softer rocks are eroded away, leaving behind the hardened volcanic neck as a prominent feature. This explanation aligns with the given correct answer.