Shaping Earth's Surface

Which of these is an agent of physical (mechanical) weathering?

• Plant Roots

• Water

• Oxygen

• None of the above

Which of these is an agent of chemical weathering?

• Ice

• Water

• Plant Roots

• None of the above

Much of the Florida landscape is built upon limestone. Frequent rains seep down and erode the limestone as the rainwater travels to underground caverns or aquifers. Which of the following landforms could be created as a result of this process?

• A delta would form as the limestone sediment is carried by aquifers.

• A swamp would be created as the rain water combines with the water in the aquifer.

• Sinkholes would form as a result of the collapse of the surface layer in an underground cavern.

• Stalagmites would be created as the water dripped down from the cavern ceiling and formed a mound.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

This sandbar occurred as a result of running water, wind, and waves. Waves picked up the sand from the beach and deposited it in the water. How is the formation of a sandbar different from the changes to a beach caused by wind erosion?

• Sandbars develop only in fresh water and erosion happens near salt water.

• Sandbars make beaches safer and erosion makes beaches more dangerous.

• Sandbars are built up surfaces and erosion removes the surface of the beach.

• Sandbars cause organisms to lose their habitats and erosion creates new habitats.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Students place soil from the playground on a stream table. They sprinkle water on the upper end and observe the result. The students repeat the same process using soil from other places. Which question are the students trying to test?

• Does soil type affect soil erosion?

• Does stream table slope affect soil erosion?

• Does stream table length affect soil erosion?

• Does the volume of water affect soil erosion?

Arches National Park is a desert landscape located in Utah. The park is filled with arches that have been formed by nature. The arches were once solid rock. Over time, extreme temperature changes and windy conditions have caused pieces of rock to crumble and blow away, leaving holes in the rock and forming the arches. Which of these processes is responsible for the formation of the arches?

• cooling magma

• weathering and erosion

• compaction and cementation

• increased geological pressures

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Glaciers are frozen, slow-moving rivers of ice that can move about one meter per day down mountain valleys. How does the movement of glaciers help create new soil?

• by scraping small particles from larger rocks

• by dissolving rocks along its path down the valley

• by carrying living plant material farther down the mountain

• by freezing small particles of soil together to form large rocks

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

A marine biologist notices an abundance of fish and other wildlife in an area where the end of a river meets a bay. The area is rich in sediment and nutrients, which the river has carried along and deposited at its end. What is this area of deposition called?

• a sinkhole lake

• an alluvial fan

• a barrier island

• a delta

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

A hiker walks from the upper rim to the bottom of a large canyon whose vertical distance is 1,743 meters. A large river flows along the bottom of the canyon. What process is most responsible for the depth of the canyon?

• Strong winds chemically weathered the rock layers over time.

• A large flood physically eroded the rock layers.

• Flowing water weathered and eroded the rock layers over many years.

• Large amounts of wind and rainfall from heavy storms physically eroded the rock layers over time