Topic 5 Lesson 1: Weathering and Soil Quiz

Scientists know a great deal about the processes that shape Earth's surface because they follow the principal of uniformitarianism, which states that geologic processes that operate today also operated in the past. Think about a mountain and how it may change over the next thousand years. Scientists know the mountain will

• experience weathering

• experience deposition

• become a volcano

• not change that soon

As earthworms move through soil, they turn it over by exposing rocks and breaking up clumpy soil. Which process does this describe?

• Deposition

• Mechanical weathering

• Erosion

• Chemical weathering

Earthworms mix different layers of soil together by carrying humus from the surface down into the subsoil. Humus is a dark-colored substance that is made up of a variety of materials. Which two of the following are found in humus?

• Limestone rock

• Living plants

• Decaying organisms

• Dead leaves

More sinkholes form each year in Florida than in any other state. Which of these explains why more sinkholes occur so often in Florida?

• because of the low elevations

• because of the high temperatures

• because of the beaches

• because of the soft rock underground

Choose all of the examples that are mechanical/physical weathering.

• When calcium carbonate rock sits in the water, it forms bubbles.

• Pressure changes on the surface cause the ground to collapse.

• Limestone rock is dissolved by water underground.

• Limestone rock breaks into smaller pieces.

Choose all of the examples that are chemical weathering.

• When calcium carbonate rock sits in the water, it forms bubbles.

• Pressure changes on the surface cause the ground to collapse.

• Limestone rock is dissolved by water underground.

• Limestone rock breaks into smaller pieces.

Juan is skipping rocks by the lake. As he picks up a pebble, he notices that it is smooth all over. Which of the following hypotheses is the most likely explanation for how the river rock became so smooth?

• Acid rain dissolved it.

• A glacier wore it down.

• Waves on the lake tumbled it against other rocks.

• Wind blew against it and wore down the river rock.

Howard is making a class presentation about the process of abrasion and he wants to model the process. Which of these can Howard do to model the process of abrasion?

• Place a few small drops of acid on a rock.

• Pour water over a pile of sand.

• Rub a soft rock on a rough surface.

• Put iron filings in a beaker of water.

A company is constructing a new highway over a mountain. Instead of traveling around the mountain, now residents will save time by driving a more direct route. What type of conditions will people who drive on this new road need to be aware of?

• Creep

• Landslides

• Glacial action

• Chemical weathering