Chapter 8-9 Study Guide: Weathering, Soil Formation & Conservation
Section 8-1 Rocks and Weathering (page 238)
Name _________________________Period _____
1. The movement of rock particles caused by wind, water, ice or gravity is called ___________________.
2. The breaking down of rock and other substances on Earth's surface is _________________________.
3. __________________________________________ is the principle that states that the same processes that
operated in the past are still taking place today.
4. ___________________________ weathering occurs when rock is physically broken down into smaller pieces.
5. The process that breaks down rock through chemical changes is _________________________ weathering.
6._________________________ and ______________________ are examples of mechanical weathering.
7. Oxygen weathers rock through the process of _________________________.
8. Examples of chemical weathering are ________________________________________________________.
Section 8-2 How Soil Forms (page 248)
9. ________________ forms as rock is broken down by weathering and mixes with decayed organic material.
10. The solid layer of rock beneath the soil is called __________________________________.
11. The dark-colored decayed organic material in soil is called ______________________________.
12. How well the soil supports plant growth is known as its __________________________.
13. Layers of soil that are different colors and textures are called ______________ _____________________.
14. Soil scientists classify different types of soil based on _______________________, plants and soil composition.
15. Dead plants or fallen leaves form a layer of __________________________. This layer is broken down into humus
by organisms called ___________________________.
Section 8-3 Soil Conservation (page 256)
16. The thick mass of tough roots at the surface of the soil is called _______________________________.
17. _____________is one of Earth’s most valuable natural resources because every living thing depends on it to live.
18. Soil value is reduced if it loses its ________________________ and when its topsoil erodes.
19. The ________________ ________________ occurred in the 1930s, when Parts of Oklahoma and surrounding
states lost top soil due to poor farming practices.
20. Soil can be conserved (or saved) by these 3 simple farming practices: ___________________ plowing,
__________________________ plowing and __________________ rotation.
Section 9-1 Changing Earth’s Surface (page 266)
21. ___________________________, _____________________________ and ____________________________
are processes that act together in a cycle that wears down and builds up the earth’s surface.
22. ______________________________ is the force that moves rock and other materials downhill and causes mass
movement (landslides, mudflows, slump and creep).
Section 9-2 Water Erosion (page 272)
23. Moving _________________________ is the major agent of the erosion that has shaped Earth’s land surface.
24. Water called ______________ moves over the land & picks up particles of soil and sediment and carries them away.
25. Erosion creates: ____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
26. Deposition creates: __________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
27. Groundwater erosion and deposition can form _______________________________, which hang like an icicle
from the roof of a cave. Groundwater erosion and deposition can also form _______________________________,
that are formed from slow dripping that builds up a cone-shaped structure from the cave floor.
Section 9-3 The Force of Moving Water (page 286)
28. Water is able to do work because its ______________________ energy is changed to _____________________
energy as gravity pulls the water down a slope.
29. A river’s ____________________, __________________ of flow, and the __________________________ of
its streambed all affect how fast the river flows and how much sediment it can erode.
30. __________________________ and ___________________________ slow a stream’s flow.
Section 9-4 Glaciers (page 291)
31. Two kinds of glaciers are __________________________ and _________________________.
32. Times when global temperatures are much lower and glaciers cover large parts of the earth are called _________________.
33. Glaciers can erode land by the process of _________________________ and ___________________.
34. A glacier doesn’t deposit sediments until it ____________________________.
35. Glaciers form landforms such as: _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Section 9-5 Waves (page 296)
36. ________________________________ that blows across the water’s surface gives waves their energy.
37. Waves shape the ______________________________ through both erosion and deposition by breaking down
rock and transporting sand and other sediment.
38. The energy from waves is concentrated on the part of shore that sticks out into the ocean, called _____________.
39. When waves deposit sediments along a coast, they form coastal features such as: _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
40. A process that moves sediments along a beach with the current is called _____________________ __________.
Section 9-6 Wind (page 301)
41. Over thousands of years, the _______________________ ______________________ in the Namib Desert were
formed from sediments that was originally from the _____________________ River.
42. The process by which wind carries sediments is called _________________________________.
43. Wind erosion and deposition can form ___________________________ and ____________________________.
44. Sediment that is finer than sand, such as clay and silt are sometimes deposited in layers called ______________.
45. Areas with large deposits of this sediment are located in the following US states: _________________________
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