Unit 3 Study Guide
1. Which igneous rock forms when basaltic lava hardens? When basaltic magma hardens?
2. A rock has a porphyritic texture. What can you conclude about the rock?
3. Explain three types of weathering.
4. Distinguish between regional and contact metamorphism.
Use the following diagram to answer Questions 5-8.
5. What process occurs at point A?
6. What three processes can occur at point B?
7. Name two processes that occur at point C.
8. What two processes occur at points D and E?
9. Compare and contrast the two types of sedimentary rocks and give at least two examples of each
type.
10. In what ways do metamorphic rocks differ from the sedimentary and igneous rocks from which
they form?
Use the photograph to answer Questions 11-15.
11. Describe the texture of the rock.
12. To which of the three major groups of rocks does the rock belong?
13. Classify the rock as specifically as possible.
14. Briefly describe how this rock formed.
15. Explain how this rock might become an igneous rock.
16. Name two rocks discussed in this chapter that might be used as flooring, countertops, or facades
on museums and government buildings. Name two rocks that might be used for monuments and
statues.
17. Each year, roughly 9100 kilograms of rock, sand, and gravel are mined for each person in the
United States. Calculate how many kilograms of rock, sand, and gravel have been mined for you thus
far in your life. Then calculate how much will be mined when you are 75 years old.
18. What happens to the total surface area of the cubes in the process shown below? What type of
weathering does this process represent?
19. What is exfoliation? Give an example of a feature produced by exfoliation.
20. How does mechanical weathering promote chemical weathering?
21. Which factor has the greatest effect on soil formation? Explain.
22. How does slope affect the formation of soil?
23. Describe the major characteristics of A, B, and C horizons.
24. List three negative effects of soil erosion.
25. Explain how weathering and mass movement together produce most landforms.
26. What is the force behind mass movements? What other factors can trigger mass movements?
27. Distinguish between rockfalls and rockslides.
28. Distinguish between mudflows and earthflows.
29. How do freezing and thawing contribute to creep?
30. Roads in northern states such as Maine and Michigan need to be repaired more often than roads
in southern states such as Florida and Louisiana. What form of mechanical weathering could account
for this?
31. How do the effects of mechanical weathering on rock differ from the effects of chemical
weathering?
Use the diagram below to answer Questions 32–34.
32. Compare the thickness of the soil in the areas labeled A and B.
33. What name is given to the soil that develops in the area labeled B? In the area labeled C?
34. Why is the soil in the area labeled D thinner than the soil in the area labeled C?
35. A committee has been established to design a stone memorial commemorating 100 soldiers who
died in battle. The committee decides to use a large block of marble for the memorial. Considering
only the memorial’s durability, would it be better to use the whole block as a single memorial for all
100 soldiers or to divide it into 100 blocks of equal size, one for each soldier?
36. Should a homeowner in a dry, mountainous area remove all vegetation from surrounding slopes
to reduce fire danger? Explain why or why not.