Rocks
Lava cools and hardens at Earth’s surface. What type of rock forms?
igneous rock
A tree root grows into a crack and widens it. Is this weathering, erosion, or deposition?
Weathering
Which soil-profile layer is least affected by surface erosion: A, B, C, or bedrock (R)?
Bedrock (R)
Two plates slide past one another along a fault. What type of boundary is this?
Transform boundary
What is a watershed?
An area of land where water drains to a shared outlet, such as a river, lake, or bay.
What two processes turn loose sediment into sedimentary rock?
weathering/erosion and compaction
During freeze-thaw, ice expands inside a crack and breaks rock into smaller pieces. What kind of weathering is this?
Mechanical (physical) weathering
Does soil usually form in five years or less? Answer true or false.
False
Two continental plates collide and crumple upward. What major landform can form?
Mountain range
What is the name for water flowing over land toward streams and rivers?
Surface runoff
What type of rock forms when existing rock changes under heat and pressure without melting?
metamorphic
Acid rain changes minerals in rock. Is this mechanical or chemical weathering?
Chemical weathering
Name one way that removing plant cover can increase soil erosion.
Removing plants reduces roots that hold soil in place and exposes soil to wind and water.
What process in the mantle helps move tectonic plates?
Convection currents
hat is a tributary, and how does it connect to a main river?
A smaller stream that flows into a larger stream or main river
How do weathering and erosion, deposition, and lithification turn rock into sedimentary rock?
Weathering and erosion break rock into sediment; deposition lays sediment down; lithification compacts and cements it.
A stream carries broken rock fragments downstream. Is this weathering, erosion, or deposition?
Erosion
How can plowing fields make soil more vulnerable to erosion?
Plowing loosens and exposes soil, allowing wind or water to carry it away more easily.
What type of boundary formed the Himalayas when two continental plates collided?
Convergent boundary between two continental plates
What happens to sediment when a river slows as it enters a lake or ocean?
Sediment is deposited, often forming a delta or other sediment buildup.
Describe two paths by which igneous rock can eventually become sedimentary rock.
It can weather and erode into sediment, which is deposited and lithified; or it can melt, cool into rock, and later undergo weathering, erosion, deposition, and lithification.
A city uses heavy machinery to crush stone for road foundations. What human-caused process changes the rock?
Human-caused mechanical weathering
Explain why soil formation is generally slow, using two contributing factors.
Soil forms slowly as rock breaks down and organic matter accumulates; the process depends on factors such as climate, organisms, parent material, and time.
At a convergent boundary, oceanic crust moves beneath continental crust. Name two surface features that may form.
A volcanic mountain chain and a trench
How could clear-cutting in a watershed affect erosion and the amount of sediment reaching a river?
Removing trees and other plants can expose soil, increase erosion, and carry more sediment into streams and rivers.