Chapter 4 – Review Book
Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
Define the Vocabulary
1. abrasion_____ ______________________________________________________________________
2. agent of erosion _____________________________________________________________________
3. bedrock__________ _________________________________________________________________
4. chemical weathering__________________________________________________________________
5. deposition__________________________________________________________________________
6. discharge (stream)___________________________________________________________________
7. erosion ____________________________________________________________________________
8. frost action (frost wedging)____________________________________________________________
9. glacial erractic_______________________________________________________________________
10. graded bedding ____________________________________________________________________
11. horizontal sorting ___________________________________________________________________
12. mass movement (mass wasting)________________________________________________________
13. meander __________________________________________________________________________
14. outcrop ___________________________________________________________________________
15. physical weathering_________________________________________________________________
16. precipitate_________________________________________________________________________
17. residual soil________________________________________________________________________
18. sediment__________________________________________________________________________
19. soil ______________________________________________________________________________
20. soil horizon ________________________________________________________________________
21. solution __________________________________________________________________________
22. sorted ____________________________________________________________________________
23. stream velocity _____________________________________________________________________
24. striation __________________________________________________________________________
25. suspension ________________________________________________________________________
26. till_______________________________________________________________________________
27. transported soil ____________________________________________________________________
28. unsorted deposit____________________________________________________________________
29. vertical sorting_____________________________________________________________________
30. weathering ________________________________________________________________________
Answer the following questions based on the reading:
WHY DO ROCKS WEATHER?
1. When an outcrop of bedrock is brought to earth’s surface because of uplift, how does exposure to
the wind, water and biological processes change the bedrock? __________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
PHYSICAL WEATHERING
2. How does physical weathering change the size of rocks? ____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
a. Does the mineral composition change? __________________________________________________
3. What type of climate is frost action the most important agent of physical weathering? ____________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. What happens when water freezes in the cracks of rocks? ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
5. Why do the temperatures have to alternate between freezing and thawing for frost action to do its
work? _______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
6. How do plant roots physically weather rock? ______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7. When rock particles rub against each other and wear away, it is called abrasion. What are the 5
major agents of abrasion? _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
8. In general, what types of minerals undergo physical weathering much easier? ___________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
CHEMICAL WEATHERING
9. For the most part, minerals remain unchanged deep in Earth’s crust, but when they are uplifted they
are exposed to the __________________________ and ___________________________.
10. What is the most important difference between chemical weathering and physical weathering? ___
_____________________________________________________________________________________
11. What is the relationship between exposed surface area and the amount of chemical weathering?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
12. The rusting (oxidation) of iron is an example of chemical weathering. How does iron oxide (AKA
rust) form?____________________________________________________________________________
13. What happens to feldspars when they are exposed at Earth’s surface? ________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
14. Chemical weathering usually requires __________________________________________________
15. What type of climate is chemical weathering dominant? ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
16. Why is quartz found in sediments but olivine is not? _______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
17. Limestone and marble contain calcite. Explain the process that is responsible for the weathering of
calcite? ______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
HOW DO SOILS FORM?
18. Under natural conditions, biological, physical and chemical weathering develops soils. How?
a. physical weathering __________________________________________________________________
b. chemical weathering__________________________________________________________________
c. biological processes __________________________________________________________________
19. Layers of soil (horizons) develop in soils that stay in place and are not moved from above the
bedrock (residual soils). Using figure 4-5., discuss the soil horizons of the mature soil.
A is composed of _______________________________________________________________________
B is __________________________________________________________________________________
C is __________________________________________________________________________________
20. The top layer is usually dark and very fertile because it has organic material called ______________
21. Most soils are not fully developed because they have been transported by erosion. Most of New
York State is covered by soil that came from the _____________ and was deposited by ______________
22. In New York State, which layer(s) is/are missing in the transported soil? _______________________
PROTECTING THE SOIL
23. Discuss at least 2 ways that soil gets destroyed.
a. ___________________________________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________________________________
HOW ARE WEATHERED MATERIALS TRANSPORTED?
24. What is the underlying force of all erosion? ______________________________________________
25. What is talus and where does it accumulate? ____________________________________________
EROSION BY GRAVITY ACTING ALONE
26. Gravity alone can cause sediment to move downhill but if _____________ is added to the sediment
it makes mass movement more likely.
27. The different types of mass movement are:
a. ___________________________________________________________________________________
b.___________________________________________________________________________________
c. ___________________________________________________________________________________
EROSION OF WATER
28. Running water in streams and rivers in the world is the most important erosional agent.
29. Running water transports sediments in several ways. Discuss how sediment is moved.
a. Solution ____________________________________________________________________________
b, Suspension__________________________________________________________________________
c. Flotation ___________________________________________________________________________
30. Some sediment is too big to be carried by the stream and rolls along the bottom of the stream.
What is the relationship between size of sediment and the velocity of the water? ___________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
VELOCITY OF STREAMS
31. Explain the 2 factors control the speed or velocity of the stream?
a. ___________________________________________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________________________________________
32. Describe the area of the stream where the water flows fastest and explain why_________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
33. Broad, flat valleys develop meanders which are bends in the stream. Describe the velocities of
water as is flows along the bend. _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
34. Figure 4-10 shows water flowing around a meander. Circle the correct term - The fastest water is
on the (inside or outside) of the bend causing (erosion or deposition); the slowest water is on the (inside
or outside) of the stream causing (erosion or deposition).
EROSION BY WIND
35. What particles can wind pick up and move? ______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
36. Where does wind erosion usually occur? ________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
EROSION BY ICE
37. How does a glacier that forms in high latitude and high altitude locations move sediment? ________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
38. How does a glacier act like a “huge abrasion system”? _____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
39. Circle one. Streams erode valleys into (V-shape or U-shape) and glaciers erode these valleys into (Vshape or U-shape). Use Figure 4-11 to help you understand.
40. Glaciers are called “rivers of ice” but they move much slower than streams but what is one way they
are like streams? _______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
CHARACTERISTIC CHANGES CAUSED BY AGENTS OF EROSION
41. Each agent of erosion causes unique changes to sediment. Describe the characteristics of each
erosional agent on sediment or rock. Figure 4-12 can help you distinguish the properties.
Gravity
Running water
Glacial Ice
Wind
(Mass Movement)
Characteristics
WHAT IS DEPOSITION?
42. What happens during deposition or sedimentation? _______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
FACTORS THAT AFFECT DEPOSITION: SIZE, SHAPE, DENSITY OF PARTICLES
PARTICLE SIZE
43. What is the relationship between size of particle and the rate of deposition? ___________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
44. What is the relationship between density and the rate of deposition? _________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
45. What is the relationship between settling rate and settling time? ____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
SORTING OF SEDIMENTS
46. Why does deposition happen? ________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
47. What is the pattern of deposition when a stream enters a large body of water like an ocean – what
gets deposited first/last? ________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
48. Horizontal sorting happens when stream’s velocity slows down gradually. Vertical sorting happens
when different size particles settle in calm water. Graded Bedding is a type of vertical sorting that
shows several distinct periods of deposition. Using figures 4-13, 4-14 and 4-15 draw the 2 different
sorting arrangements.
HORIZONTAL SORTING
VERTICAL SORTING/GRADED BEDDING
DEPOSITION BY GRAVITY
49. Circle the correct answer. When gravity acts alone the sediment/talus are (round, angular) and the
sediment/talus is (sorted, unsorted).
DEPOSITION IN WATER
50. Water sorts sediment. Why does a delta form when a stream enters a lake or ocean? ___________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
DEPOSITION BY WIND
51. Why does wind generally only carry fine sediment? _______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
52. Figure 4-16 shows how sand dunes form. Prevailing winds are winds that blow consistently in the
same direction forming a windward side which is (gentle, steep) and a leeward side which is (gentle,
steep). Be able to identify the prevailing winds by using a sand dune diagram. In the diagram below the
winds are blowing (right to left, left to right).
DEPOSITION BY GLACIERS
53. If the glacier deposited the sediment it will be (sorted, unsorted) and if meltwater coming from the
glacier deposited the sediment it will be (sorted, unsorted).
54. What are 2 ways a glacial erratic is different from other large rocks? __________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________