Weathering
Does physical weathering change what rocks are made up of?
No, it just changes how they appear physically.
Is erosion a natural process?
Yes. Think about wind blowing sand or water moving rocks! These are natural processes.
What is Erosion?
the movement of sediments/rocks by wind, water, ice, or plants roots.
What is deposition?
Deposition is when particles are carried by water, wind, ice, and deposited into a new location.
What is another word for rocks which are broken down?
sediment
Which of the following are erosion processes? A.Water erosion- Erosion caused by either raindrops or heavy rain. B. Shoreline erosion- Occurs due to the action of currents and waves. C. Wind erosion- Movement of material by the wind
(hint: you can have more than one answer!)
A. B. C.
What are the four main causes of weathering?
Wind, ice, water, and plant roots!
Are erosion and weather dependent on one another? Explain
Yes- They both need to occur for the cycle to continue (the sediments that are broken down move after the breaking occurs).
The grand canyon is an example of what type of erosion (by water, ice, plant roots, or wind)?
by water
What is a key word for erosion?
Movement
Can weathering be stopped?
No. It occurs in nature due to natural processes which cannot be stopped (wind, ice, plant roots growing).
Sally lives on a hill of sand. The hill of sand is right next to the ocean. Every morning, Sally wakes up and notices that the sand in front of her house is becoming steeper and steeper and her house appears to be higher up. Is this demonstrating weathering or erosion? Explain
Erosion! The sand is moving back into the ocean when the waves hit the shore.
What process describes pieces of rocks rolling downhill to create a landslide?
Erosion!
When my grandmothers house was built I remember the paint on the porch was white. Now it has chipped. What is this caused by?
Weathering
If sediments are sitting at the bottom of a lake, what part of the weathering cycle is happening?
Deposition!
Can erosion be stopped?
no. we can't stop natural forces (like wind) therefore, we can't stop erosion.
If wind is blowing sand against a rock for hundreds of years, what might happen? Explain what the rock would look like after those 100 years. Is the wind blowing weathering, erosion, or deposition?
The rock would look smaller or shaved down on the side where the sand was hitting. Erosion describes the movement of the sand hitting the rock.
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering is the process of breaking parts of earth/rocks. Erosion is the movement of these sediments.
Give an example of how weathering could be destructive.
It breaks things! Weathering may include violent storms, such as a hurricane, or flood. These events or occurrences may have long lasting effects.
Describe erosion in relation to an ocean and the tide.
When the tide comes in, it pulls sand with it. When the tide goes out, it pushes sand back out. This changes the way the sand on a beach looks.
As humans why is it important to understand weathering and erosion?
It is important to understand weathering and erosion, so that we can prevent or better prepare for weathering as well as make observations to compare to something we have seen before.
Give a real life example of a place where weathering occurred (hint: think of famous places where people go to visit).
The Grand Canyon, rock arches, sand dunes, some isolated boulders.
Do humans have anything to do with weathering and or erosion? Explain
Yes, depending on how we take care of earth, earth will take care of us. Many storms occur based on how we take care of the water and air on earth.