Name____________________________
Date of Test _______
Parent Signature_________________________________
Unit 7 Weathering and Erosion Study Guide
Standards for this unit
#1 Students will investigate the scientific view of how the earth’s surface is formed.
Describe processes that change rocks and the surface of the earth.
Explain the effects of physical processes (plate tectonics, erosion, deposition, volcanic
eruption, gravity) on geological features including oceans (composition, currents, and
tides).
Describe soil as consisting of weathered rocks and decomposed organic material.
Explain the effects of human activity on the erosion of the earth’s surface.
Describe methods for conserving natural resources such as water, soil, and air.
Questions – students will be asked to answers these questions throughout the unit.
#1 What are the characteristics of weathering
#2 What are the different kinds of weathering processes?
#3 How are weathering and erosion different?
#4 How are weathering and erosion related?
#5 How does the formation of soil relate to the processes of weathering and erosion?
Soil
1. ___________________________ is a _______________________________________ resource.
2. Soil is comprised of a mixture of _____________________________ (minerals), _____________________
_____________________________________, ____________________________, _________________, and
_________________________.
3. A ____________________________________ is a layer of soil with _______________________________
from those of the layer above and below it.
4. Soil is extremely valuable. It is responsible for all of the food that people eat. Soil is considered to be a
___________________________ resource because ______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
5. Although weathered rock is the ___________________________ of soil, the _________________________
and _______________________________ of soil and its fertility and resistance to erosion are greatly
influenced by plants and other organisms.
6. Decomposing plant and animal material in soil is also known as _______________________.
7. The three types of soil:
_________________Soil – has the ___________________ particles does not _______________________
well and warms and _____________________ quickly.
____________ Soil – has lots of _____________ particles and small air pores. Holds _________________
and _________________________________ poorly.
______________ Soil - consists of _________________, ______________, and _______________. It is
considered to be the perfect soil. It holds ______________ easily and ________well.
8. The type of soil that is best for drainage is______________ and the best type for growing crops is ________.
9. Good soil stores ___________, provides _________________ for plants, and provides _________________
for animals.
Weathering
10. Weathering is the process that ________________________________ and _________________________
at Earth’s surface.
11. Weathering is _______________________________________________________________
12. The two main types of weathering are ____________________________, and ______________________
13. Mechanical weathering is breaking down rocks by ________________________________.
14. Mechanical weathering includes ______________________________, __________________________,
and _________________________________ breaking down rocks.
15. Chemical weathering is the breakdown of rocks by _____________________________________ that
change the rocks makeup or composition.
16. Chemical weathering includes _________________ (soluble rocks and minerals dissolve in acidic waters),
____________________ (feldspars alter to clay), and ______________________ (rusting of iron).
17. ________________________ is the ________________________ weathering that refers to a chemical
change to a substance when it interacts with water.
18. ____________________ is the main cause of chemical weathering.
19. The dirt on Mars is red because of ______________/______________________. This is an example of
_______________________________________.
20. Acid rain causes rocks to ______________________________ faster than they would ______________.
Erosion
21. Weathering and erosion are two ______________________________________ processes that tend to
________________________________________.
22. Erosion is the ______________________________________________________________.
23. Erosion _________________________ weathered rock material.
24. Water, wind and ice are agents of _________________________.
25. Deposition occurs where the agents (forces) of erosion _________________________ sediment.
26. Dirt from mountain tops can be carried downhill to fill in valleys. This is called _____________________.
27. Waves erode the ___________________________________.
28. What are the three major ways in which erosion moved sediment? __________________,
_______________, & __________________
29. Weathering and erosion ___________________, and deposition _______________________ Earth’s
surface.
30. The agent of erosion that carries the largest rocks is glaciers.
31. ____________________ can carve a valley through rock with a river flowing through it while a
__________ can carve a valley where only rocks remain. When the glacier retreats or melts it _____________
behind a valley ___________________________________
32. __________, ______________________, and __________________ all combine to move dirt around. Of
the three, ______________________ is responsible for moving the most amount of soil.
Humans Impact
33. Human intervention can___________________________ and __________________________ erosion.
34. Human ________________, such as reducing forest cover and intensive farming, have ________________
Earth’s surface.
35. One simple way to keep soil healthy is to ensure that the soil is never bare. That means keeping ________
in dirt for as long as possible.
36. Humans can increase erosion through ___________________________________________ or disturbing
the land _______________________________________.
37. Man-made structures along the __________________________ often have the unwanted side effect of
____________________________________________________________.
38. Man-made structures are sometimes built to ____________________________ control erosion.
39. Construction on steep slopes can lead to ______________________________ (erosion by gravity),
including slumps and landslides
40. Due to misusing soil, ______________________________________, _____________________________,
and _____________________________ can occur.
41. Mass movement and mass wasting is the downhill movement of large amounts of surface material caused
by gravity.
42. Examples of mass movement and mass wasting are _______________, ________________________,
___________________________________, ______________________________, _____________________ ,
and ______________________________.
43. Creep is a _______________________ mass movement that goes on for years or even centuries. You can't
____________ creep happening but ___________________________, and ______________, and
___________________________________________ show where it has taken place. Creep is the ___________
type of mass movement.
Vocabulary
soil horizon, deposition, erosion, soil horizon, weathering, mechanical weathering, chemical weathering, mass
wasting, landslide, mudflow, humus, nonrenewable resources, renewable resources, organic matter