Processes That Change Earth's Surface

The process in which rock is broken down into smaller pieces is

• Erosion

• Weathering

• Deposition

• Compaction

What agent of change is most likely responsible for the formation of the land features labeled in the image?

• Water

• Wind

• Glaciers

• Mud

The student created a model for his Science Class. Which model best represents the formation of a delta?

• A student carefully placed pieces of gravel in a hill.

• A student set up a tray of sand and blew through a straw to form a hill of sand.

• A student poured water into a stream table filled with dirt and observed sediments get deposited at the end of the table in a triangular shape.

• A student packed damp sand in a tray then scraped a large ice cube along the bottom.

Wind, water, and ice change Earth’s surface. Which landform was most likely formed by the slow movement of glaciers?

• Arch

• River delta

• V-shaped valley

• U-shaped valley

When water enters the cracks in a large rock and freezes, the water expands. Over time, water freezing and thawing –

• erodes the large rock through a river

• weathers the rock into sediments

• deposits lava in a new place

• changes the rock into a glacier

A wide, round-bottom valley is shown below. This valley was most likely formed by –

• Tornadoes

• Glacial movement

• Flash flooding

• Deposition by the wind

Which pair of landforms are the result of the same agent of change?

Note: The agents are wind, water or ice.

• A canyon and V-shaped valley

• A U-shaped valley and delta

• A sand dune and cave

• A delta and sand dune

A diagram of a delta is shown. Which process best describes the formation of this delta?

• The erosion of sediments in the ocean

• The weathering of rock by glaciers

• The deposition of sediments carried by the ocean

• The deposition of sediments carried by the river

Which of the following describes deposition due to water?

• A river breaks rock into small pieces.

• Strong waves crash against rock, breaking off sediments.

• Wind blew sand and deposited them in the formation of a sand dune.

• Water in a river slowed and dropped off sediments to form a delta.

While on a field trip, students observed a canyon and wrote the following list of observations. This canyon was most likely formed by –

• Flooding

• Wind

• Massive glaciers

• Volcanic activity