Earth Science Landscapes

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

• shape
• mass
• volume
• composition

Which activity demonstrates chemical weathering?

• freezing of water in the cracks of a sandstone sidewalk
• abrasion of a streambed by tumbling rocks
• grinding of talc into a powder
• dissolving of limestone by acid rain

Which factor has the greatest influence on the weathering rate of Earth’s surface bedrock?

• local air pressure
• angle of insolation
• age of the bedrock
• regional climate

The formation of soil is primarily the result of

• stream erosion and mass movement
• stream deposition and runoff
• precipitation and wind erosion
• weathering and biological activity

What is the best evidence that a glacial erratic has been transported?

• It is located at a high elevation in a mountainous area.
• It is less than 25 centimeters in diameter.
• Its composition is different from that of the bedrock under it.
• It appears to have been intensely metamorphosed.

Trees growing on the edge of a river's meander are most likely to fall into the river due to

• deposition on the inside of the meander
• deposition on the outside of the meander
• erosion on the inside of the meander
• erosion on the outside of the meander

Which agent of erosion most likely formed the drumlins and finger lakes in New York State?

• running water
• moving ice
• wave action
• mass movement

What is the most common cause of waves?

• underwater earthquakes
• variations in ocean-water density
• the gravitational effect of the Moon
• winds at the ocean surface

Which characteristics of a particle would usually result in the longest settling time for the particle in calm water?

• low density and round shape
• low density and flat shape
• high density and round shape
• high density and flat shape

Compared to a low-density spherical particle, a high-density spherical particle of the same size will sink through water

• more slowly
• more rapidly
• at the same rate