Name_______________________Date______________________Period____________________
Rocks, Weathering & Erosion and Soils
Unit Study Guide
1. Name the 3 types of rocks and describe how they form. Also name an example of each:
a. ____________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________
c. ____________________________________________
2. What energy source provides energy for creating igneous and metamorphic rocks?
3. What is sediment? How can water lead to the creation of sediment?
4. Label the following on the diagram:
a. Igneous Rocks
b. Sedimentary Rock
c. Metamorphic Rock
d. Melting
e. Compaction/Cementation
f. Weathering and Erosion
g. Heat and Pressure
5. Differentiate between mechanical and chemical weathering:
a. Mechanical_________________________________________________________
b. Chemical___________________________________________________________
6. Identify whether the following forms of weathering occur more often in hot environments or cold
environments:
a. Frost Wedging:_____________________
b. Hydrolysis:________________________
7. Define erosion: ____________________________________________________________________.
Name 4 agents that can cause erosion:
a. _________________
b. _________________
c. _________________
d. _________________
8. Rank the following forms of water erosion in order of how much soil removal they cause:
a. Rill
_______
b. Gully _______
c. Sheet _______
9. Name 2 ways in which erosion can change the Earth’s landscape:
a. ______________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________
10. Define soil. Identify the 2 main components:
a. ______________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________
11. Draw a picture of a soil profile. Label the following horizons: O, A, B, C. Indicate which horizon has
the most amount of humus and which has the most amount of parent material.
12. Use the soil triangle below to determine the texture of the following soils:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
50 % Sand, 40% Clay, 10% silt_______________________
20 % Sand, 10 % Clay, 70% silt_______________________
80 % Sand, 10 % Clay, 10% silt_______________________
30 % Sand, 30% Clay, 40% silt_______________________
60 % Sand, 10 % Clay, 30 % silt_______________________
13. What factor has the greatest influence on soil formation?
14. Name the geohazard that is likely to occur at the following locations:
a. Near the coast________________________________________________
b. In the mountains______________________________________________
c. Near a plate boundary__________________________________________
15. Would an area located on the Eastern coast of the United States or the Western coast have a great
potential for geohazard destruction? Why?
16. Name one measure that can be used to mitigate the following geohazards:
Geohazard
Mitigation
Landslide
Tsunami
Earthquake
Sinkhole
Flooding