Weathering Practice 040924

At high elevations, which is the most common form of physical weathering?

• abrasion of rocks by the wind

• alternate freezing and melting and water

• dissolving of minerals into solution

• oxidation by oxygen in the atmosphere

Which process involves either a physical or chemical breakdown of earth materials?

• deposition

• sedimentation

• weathering

• cementing

In which climate would the chemical weathering of limestone occur most rapidly?

• cold and dry

• cold and humid

• warm and dry

• warm and humid

Which type of climate has the greatest amount of rock weathering caused by frost action?

• a wet climate in which temperatures remain below freezing

• a wet climate in which temperatures alternate from below freezing to above freezing

• a dry climate in which temperature remain below freezing

• a dry climate in which temperatures alternate from below freezing to above freezing

Water is a major agent of chemical weathering because water

• cools the surrounding when it evaporates

• dissolves many of the minerals that make up rocks

• has a density of about one gram per cubic centimeter

• has the highest specific heat of all common earth materials

Which characteristic would most likely remain constant when a limestone cobble is subjected to extensive abrasion?

• shape

• mass

• volume

• composition

Which geologic feature is caused primarily by chemical weathering?

• large caves in limestone bedrock

• a pattern of parallel cracks in a granite mountain

• blocks of basalt at the base of a steep slope

• the smooth, polished surface of a rock in a dry, sandy area

A large rock is broken into several smaller pieces. Compared to the rate of weathering of the large rock, the rate of weathering of the smaller pieces is

• less

• greater

• the same

Four pieces of the same rock material which have different shapes but equal volumes are exposed to the atmosphere. Which piece would probably weather fastest?

• a piece shaped like a sphere

• a piece shaped like a cube

• a piece shaped like a cylinder

• a piece shaped flat and thin

Which factors most directly control the development of soils?

• soil particle sizes and method of deposition

• bedrock composition and climate characteristics

• direction of prevailing winds and storm tracks

• earthquake intensity and volcanic activity