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EH Investigation 2&3: Weathering, Erosion and Deposition

Total questions: 27

Worksheet time: 27mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which sediments would I find at area X?

a)

Cobbles and pebbles because they are bigger and heavier than sand

b)

Rocks like sand and gravel because they are bigger and heavier than clay

c)

Finer particles like clay and silt because they are smaller and lighter than sand

d)

Rocks like sand and gravel because they are smaller and lighter than clay

2.

Which sediments would I find at area Y?

a)

Cobbles and pebbles because they are bigger and heavier than sand

b)

Rocks like sand and gravel because they are bigger and heavier than clay

c)

Finer particles like clay and silt because they are smaller and lighter than sand

d)

Rocks like sand and gravel because they are smaller and lighter than clay

3.

Which sediments would I find at area Z?

a)

Cobbles and pebbles because they are bigger and heavier than sand

b)

Rocks like sand and gravel because they are bigger and heavier than clay

c)

Finer particles like clay and silt because they are smaller and lighter than sand

d)

Rocks like sand and gravel because they are smaller and lighter than clay

4.

Which explanation best describes how a boulder can turn into silt as it moves down a river?

a)

Water washes over the boulder until it is silt-sized.

b)

The boulder hits other rocks or objects and breaks apart.

c)

The boulder moves down the river until it lands in a basin and becomes silt.

d)

A chemical reaction turns the boulder into silt.

5.

You find some soil that is mostly made of clay and silt, but no sand. How might this soil have formed?

a)

Slow-moving water carried the sand downstream and left behind the silt and clay

b)

Wind blew all the sand away, leaving behind the silt and clay particles

c)

Silt, clay, and organic material settled out of slow-moving water

d)

A fast-moving stream washed away all the sand.

6.

You find a layer of shale rock. What environment might have been here before?

a)

A sandy beach

b)

A swamp

c)

A coral reef

d)

A river

7.

You find a layer of sandstone rock. What environment might have been here before?

a)

A sandy beach

b)

A swamp

c)

A coral reef

d)

A river

8.

You find a layer of limestone rock. What environment might have been here before?

a)

A sandy beach

b)

A swamp

c)

A coral reef

d)

A river

9.

Two students are exploring a creek in their neighborhood. Continuing along the creek, they and some pieces of white sandy rock in the creek. They drip hydrochloric acid on that rock. The rock does not fizz. Choose the 3 processes that likely formed the rocks in the creek.

a)

Deposition

b)

Chemical reaction

c)

Cementation

d)

Erosion

e)

Melting

10.

Which statement best describes the principle of uniformitarianism?

a)

Deposition occurs faster today than it did in ancient environments

b)

Weathering and erosion can be fast or slow, depending on the type of rock.

c)

Earth’s geological features were formed by a few catastrophic events

d)

Rocks form by the same processes today as in the past

11.

Some students wanted to investigate how five different sediments settled in a basin of water. They started with the basin flat on the table and added new sediments each day for three days. On the fourth day, they gently tilted the basin before adding the sediments for the last few days. (Note: The layer shaded gray represents the water.) Which drawing best represents the basin layers and water at the end of their investigation? (Mark the one best answer.)

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

d)

D

12.

How does the basin investigation apply to the formation of rock layers in the real world? Choose the best 3 options that explain how this investigation applies to the formation of rock layers.

a)

An entire basin can become tilted.

b)

Layers always form horizontally

c)

Layers gradually tilt until they become horizontal

d)

Newer layers form on top of older layers.

e)

Larger sediments are found in the bottom layers.

13.

Abrasion, or wind blowing tiny grains of sand against a rock to wear it away, is part of which process?

a)

Physical weathering

b)

Biological weathering

c)

Wind erosion

d)

Water erosion

14.

Abrasion, or wind blowing tiny grains of sand against a rock to wear it away, is part of which process?

a)

Physical weathering

b)

Biological weathering

c)

Ice erosion

d)

Water erosion

15.

Abrasion, or wind blowing tiny grains of sand against a rock to wear it away, is part of which process?

a)

Physical weathering

b)

Chemical weathering

c)

Biological Weathering

d)

Water erosion

16.

Plant roots can grow in the cracks of rocks and split the rocks apart. What process is this?

a)

Physical weathering

b)

Chemical weathering

c)

Biological Weathering

d)

Water erosion

17.

Erosion can be done in three ways. What are they? Mark all three.

a)

Plant roots

b)

Wind

c)

Sand

d)

Water

e)

Ice

18.

How are weathering and erosion DIFFERENT?

a)

Weathering takes it and erosion breaks it

b)

Weathering breaks it and erosion takes it

c)

Weathering drops sediments off and erosion makes them smaller

d)

Weathering moves sediments and erosion drops them into basins

19.

What is the SMALLEST sediment size that a rock can be weathered down into?

a)

Silt

b)

Sand

c)

Clay

d)

Pebbles

20.

How is sandstone formed?

a)

Compacted areas of silt and clay mixed with cement like groundwater or clay

b)

Compacted areas of pure sand mixed with cement like groundwater

c)

Compacted areas of sediment with precipitate of calcium carbonate cements the sediments together

21.

How is shale formed?

a)

Compacted areas of silt and clay mixed with cement like groundwater or clay

b)

Compacted areas of pure sand mixed with cement like groundwater

c)

Compacted areas of sediment with precipitate of calcium carbonate cements the sediments together

22.

How is limestone formed?

a)

Compacted areas of silt and clay mixed with cement like groundwater or clay

b)

Compacted areas of pure sand mixed with cement like groundwater

c)

Compacted areas of sediment with precipitate of calcium carbonate cements the sediments together

23.

What is compaction when it comes to the formation of rocks?

a)

When sediments are glued together with a cement

b)

When sediments get broken down and moved from one place to another

c)

When sediments are dropped into a basin and sorted by size

d)

When sediments get packed down due to gravity or the weight of the sediments being deposited on top

24.

How do fossils get into limestone? Choose the best 2 answers.

a)

Land animals died and washed into the water

b)

Sea organisms died and fell to the bottom

c)

Animal lived on the sea floor or their shells fell to the bottom

d)

There are no fossils in limestone.

25.

What is the chemical reaction that happens with limestone or lime water?

a)

When carbon dioxide is added, the acid is released from the limestone/water.

b)

When calcium carbonate is added, the carbon dioxide is released from the limestone/water.

c)

When acid is added, the carbon dioxide is released from the limestone/water.

d)

When calcium and carbon dioxide mix, it releases calcium carbonate from the limestone/water.

26.

What does the principle of superposition explain?

a)

The rock layer on the bottom is the oldest and the top is the youngest

b)

The rock layer on the bottom is the oldest and the top is the youngest

c)

All rock layers are formed horizontally (straight across) on top of the layer below

d)

Rocks form by the same processes today as in the past

27.

What does the principle of original horizontality explain?

a)

The rock layer on the bottom is the oldest and the top is the youngest

b)

The rock layer on the bottom is the oldest and the top is the youngest

c)

All rock layers are formed horizontally (straight across) on top of the layer below

d)

Rocks form by the same processes today as in the past