Weathering and Groundwater Review

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

The process that breaks down rocks and other materials on Earth's surface is called

• weathering
• erosion
• soil conservation
• decomposition

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.

The diagrams  shows a natural process that weathers rock.
 Which statement best explains why this process results in weathering?

• frozen water acts as a solute
• water expands when it freezes
• the mass of water increases when it freezes
• frozen water dissolves most types of rock

Which of the following is an example of mechanical weathering?

• Acidic groundwater dissolving limestone
• frost wedging
• Paper being burned

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

What are the two factors that affect the rate at which weathering occurs?

• climate and mass of rock
• climate and size of rock
• type of rock and size of rock
• type of rock and climate

Which type of climate will have faster chemical weathering?

• Hot and Wet
• Cold and Dry
• Hot and Cold
• Cold and Wet

What is the relationship between surface area and the rate of weathering?

• As surface area increases, the rate of weathering decreases
• As surface area increases, the rate of weathering increases
• As surface area decreases, the rate of weathering increases
• There is no relationship

The circulation of the earth's water, in which water evaporates from the sea into the atmosphere, where it condenses and falls as rain or snow, returning to the sea by rivers or returning to the atmosphere by evapo-transpiration is called the...

• carbon cycle
• nitrogen cycle
• water cycle
• rock cycle