Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition

Categorize each sentence based on the process transforming rock.

Groups:

(a) Weathering

,

(b) Erosion

,

(c) Deposition

• Animals burrowing into soil.

• Sediment flowing down a river.

• A boulder repeatedly hit by wind and sand.

• Dunes forming as sand falls in the desert.

• A road being torn away by a hurricane.

• Marine snow landing on the ocean floor.

• Acid rain causing a statue to dissolve.

• Waves constantly slamming against a cliff.

• A landslide burying a town.

• Glaciers gash and bulldoze deep mountain valleys.

Answer explanation

Weathering: the physical and chemical breakdown of rock

Erosion: when pieces of rock or soil are moved away from their original spot

Deposition: the process by which a sediment or other material falls upon a surface

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Reorder steps in the process of creating this rock formation.

• Pieces of the rock break off and fly away.

• Sediment falls onto sand dunes.

• Wind and sand hit the rock.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Reorder steps in the process of creating this rock formation.

• Sediment falls onto the ocean floor.

• Ocean waves hit the rock.

• Pieces of the rock break off and fall into the ocean and sinks.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Reorder steps in the process of creating this rock formation.

• Pieces of dissolved rock sink into earth and drip from cave ceilings.

• Water slowly dissolves rock as it flows.

• Minerals stay behind and accumulate over time as the water falls.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Mechanical weathering physically breaks rock into ​ (a)   . These pieces are known as ​ (b)   . Water, wind, ​ (c)   , animals, and changes in temperature and pressure can cause mechanical weathering.

• smaller pieces
• bigger pieces
• sediments
• minerals
• plants
• gravity

Chemical weathering happens when minerals in rock are ​ (a)   or break down chemically to form new ​ (b)   . Chemical weathering happens as minerals react with ​ (c)   and air.

• dissolved
• minerals
• water
• wind
• rocks
• smaller pieces

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS1-5

Erosion occurs when pieces of rock or ​ (a)   are moved away from their original spot. Erosion is often caused by wind, ​ (b)   water or ice, and ​ (c)   .

• running
• gravity
• soil
• minerals
• frozen
• plants

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Deposition occurs when eroded sediments are ​ (a)   another location. Many ​ (b)   are formed due to deposition, when material is laid down over the dead organism. Over long periods of time, deposition can result in the forming of ​ (c)   .

• moved away from
• dropped in
• fossils
• rock layers
• sediments
• volcanos

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3