Soil, Weathering and Erosion

Which of the following probably did not cause this statue to wear down?

• Rain
• Wind
• Snow
• Animals

Oxidation is a chemical reaction that takes place when oxygen reacts with another element. Oxygen is very strongly chemically reactive. The most familiar type of oxidation is when iron reacts with oxygen to create rust.
Which chemical creates rust?

• Oxygen
• Carbon Dioxide
• Nitrogen
• Neon

How does freezing water cause the weathering of rocks?  The freezing water—

• keeps the rocks in place
• makes the rocks last longer
• expands cracks and breaks rocks
• causes rocks to fall in landslides

How does wind abrasion work?

• Sediment is blown off a surface from wind.
• Wind-blown sediment strikes a surface.
• Wind blows large chunks of rock off a surface.
• Sediment falls off of a surface on its own.

What is mechanical weathering?

• Process through which rocks are physically broken into smaller pieces.
• Rocks are broken down through chemical changes.
• Rocks are worn away from acid in plant roots.
• Rocks broken down by machinery.

A marble statue is left exposed to the weather.  Within a few years, the details on the statue have begun to weather away.  This weathering probably is caused by...

• oxygen in the air
• carbonic acid in rainwater
• lichens
• abrasion

How do plants weather rocks?

• during photosynthesis
• when roots grow into cracks of rocks and expand the rock
• when the plant moves water from the roots to the leaves

The process by which water, ice, wind or gravity moves weathered rock and soil from one place to another.

• weathering
• erosion
• deposition
• dumptruck

These rocks were made smooth by wind blowing smaller rock particles across their surface.  This is an example of:

• ice wedging
• chemical weathering
• acid rain
• abrasion

Flood water pounding against a canyon wall and wearing it down

• Weathering
• Erosion
• Deposition