Earth Science: How Does Water Shape Our World

Mica wants to show his class how water can cause weathering. How could he show a way water causes weathering?

• freeze water so that it cracks the cup

• hit an ice cube with a flat rock

• melt an ice cube with a hot plate

• pour water into a blue-colored glass

How does water help to form soil?

• It makes up the tiny drops in a cloud.

• It breaks down rock into small pieces.

• It flows in streams that go to the ocean.

• It turns into steam when it gets very hot.

Which of these is NOT a description of how water can break apart rock?

• Water in the cracks of a rock can freeze and expand.

• Sunlight can boil water in the cracks of a rock, causing the rock to melt

• Water can soften a rock, and animals step on the rock and break them.

• Fast-moving water can carry a rock, causing it to hit another rock.

Mr. Laskey’s class put equal amounts of gravel on four trays. The trays were then set at different angles. Students used a garden hose to run water down each tray. They measured how much time it took for the gravel to erode to the bottom of the tray. They recorded their data in the table. Which conclusion can be made from the data?

• The angle of the tray does not change erosion time.

• Water erodes gravel more easily than it does limestone.

• Ice and wind erode materials at different rates than water.

• Steeper angles cause water erosion to occur more quickly.

The water in a fast-moving river causes rocks to bump and scrape against one another. What will happen to these rocks over time?

• They will get larger

• They will get smaller

• They will get sharper

• They will get heavier

Explain the difference between "weathering" and "erosion."

Tia makes a model of a glacier with clay, sand, and an ice cube. She pushes the ice cube over the clay that is covered with sand. Explain how she could use the model to show that glaciers carry soil.