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Mystery Detectives Earth Homework
Directions: Go onto http://russellscience.wikispaces.com, click on “Mystery Detectives”, play the PowerPoint, click on
the following questions, then write down the correct answers completely. Bring it to class daily to work on .
1. Which of the following is NOT true?
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2. Which of the following is an example of a constructive process that can change Earth’s
surface?
3. When we look at a canyon like this, we see the results of
5. Deltas are examples of landforms formed by
8. Which landform was most likely made by the process of deposition?
9. A stalactite is a feature that hangs like an icicle from the roof of a cavern. How do stalactites in
limestone caverns most likely form?
11. Which of the following would be a way to prevent erosion?
12. Which of the following landforms was most likely formed by wave erosion?
16. Soil is created when
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21. Plants grow best in soil that contains
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29. Scientists claim that the area around the Grand Canyon was once an ocean. What evidence
would support their claim?
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30. A glacier is a slow-moving river of ice. How does a glacier help create new soil?
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32. Which process changes rocks to soil?
35. The diagram shows different layers of sedimentary rock. Which layers is most likely the
oldest?
39. How does sediment change to rock?
40. What do fossils indicate about some animals from long ago?
41. Which of the following is an example of a fossil?
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43. What happens when Earth’s plates grind past each other along fault lines?
44. Which of the following processes would take the longest to change landforms on the Earth’s
surface?
46. All of the following are effects of flowing water EXCEPT
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47. Barrier islands are sandbars along the coast of Texas. These islands most likely formed
when—
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49. Many valleys in the Northern U.S. have a U-shape that shows a glacier carved them. How
long does it take a glacier to carve a valley?
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50. Which would be the best way to model the changes to a canyon after flooding?
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51. Mountains on Earth’s surface can be caused by earthquakes, uplift, or
52. A delta often forms where a river flows into an ocean. Why do deltas continue to grow
indefinitely?
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53. The grinding action of glaciers causes
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56. Landforms, such as canyons and mountains, result from
57. The rock pictured below contains many fossils. This rock is most likely an example of
58. A glacier is like sandpaper because it
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59. Which of these would be the most likely cause of the ground opening in large cracks in a
matter of seconds?
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60. Magma deep in Earth expands and is forced out the opening of a volcano. As the rock cools, it
may form which of the following?
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61. What is the most important reason that soil is described as a natural resource?
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62. Which of the following is NOT true about glaciers?
63. How are an earthquake and a glacier alike?
64. What causes earthquakes, volcanoes and uplift of Earth's surface?
65. The Colorado River has helped to form the Grand Canyon. Which natural process does the
river most directly cause?
68. A student conducted an investigation to see how glaciers work. The experiment analyzed the
effects on a rock of a plain ice cube and an ice cube containing sand. What effect did the sandy
ice cube have on the rock?
70. The presence of an animal fossil in a rock gives evidence of
71. Layer A in the diagram probably formed in an ocean. Which of these is the best clue that layer
A formed in an ocean?
75. Which statement below is an observation?
77. Which of the following landforms are caused MOSTLY by deposition?
79. To find out which soil absorbs moisture BEST, each container shown below must
80. Which BEST explains how soil is formed?
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