Name: Date:

Earth Science Class:

Unit 5: Earth’s Processes Exam Review
Topics:
- Weathering - Erosion: Gravity - Erosion: Waves
- Factors affecting weathering - Erosion: Streams - Erosion: Wind
- Soil - Erosion: Glaciers - Deposition
1. Weathering
1. Define weathering: _________________________________________________________________
2. Describe the difference between mechanical weathering and chemical weathering. ________________
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3. Match the following terms:
____ Frost wedging. a. Sediments in wind/ water rub against other rock.
____ Abrasion. b. Oxygen and Iron chemically react.
____ Root Pry. c. Chemical reaction causing rocks to dissolve.
____ Dissolution. d. Tree and plant roots grow within the crack.
____ Acid Rain/ Snow. e. Precipitation that’s slightly acidic eats away at rock.
____ Organic Acids. f. Forms when CO2 dissolves in water.
____ Carbonic Acids. g. Water freezes and thaws, expanding cracks in rocks.
____ Oxidation. h. Organisms, like lichen, produce acids dissolving rocks.
4. Explain how water is able to mechanically weather rocks by frost wedging.
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5. Explain how water can chemically weather rocks and create sinkholes/ caves.
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a. What type of rock is able to dissolve easily with water, and why?
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6. Predict why the rock on Mars are red and explain how weathering allowed the coloring to happen.
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7. Explain why areas of high elevation will undergo frost wedging as the primary type of weathering.
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2. Factors Affecting Weathering
1. List the 5 factors that affect the rate of weathering
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2. Explain how increasing surface area will increase the rate of weathering?
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 3. Explain how the rock composition can affect the rate of weathering of rocks.
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4. Which rock layer is the least resistant to weathering? How can you tell?
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5. Which two rock layers are most resistant to weathering? How can
you tell?
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6. What type of climate (temp & moisture) would you have the
most physical weathering?
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7. What type of climate (temp & moisture) would you have the
most chemical weathering?
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8. (Graph) Flushing, NY has an average temperature of ~12°C

and an average precipitation of ~117 cm. What type of
weathering is most prevalent here?
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3. Soil
1. What two processes create soil and increase soil thickness. __________________& _______________
2. Explain how residual soil is different from transported soil. __________________________________
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3. Describe the difference between soil horizons O, A, B, C and R. _______________________________
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4. Erosion: Gravity.
1. Define erosion: ____________________________________________________________________
2. What force would create landslides, mudslides, and creep? __________________________________
3. What is the movement of land as erosion known as? ________________________________________
4. Describe how the gradient of the land would affect the amount of erosion. _______________________
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 5. How are landslides different from mudslides. _____________________________________________
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6. Define creep: ______________________________________________________________________
7. What pieces of evidence show that creep is occurring? ______________________________________
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8. Why do trees bend into U or J-shapes during creep? ________________________________________
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5. Erosion: Streams and Rivers
1. Define the water erosion Solution: ______________________________________________________
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2. Define the water erosion Suspension: ___________________________________________________
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3. Define the water erosion Bed Load: _____________________________________________________
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4. Describe how the sediment size in suspension would differ from the sediment size in bed load. _______
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5. Describe the relationship between carrying power, discharge, and velocity of a river. ______________
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6. Describe how a flood would affect the discharge, velocity, and carrying power of a river. ___________
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7. Explain how sediment size and shape changes as the amount of erosion increases. _________________
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8. Use pg.6 of your ESRT to answer the following questions.
a. What is the minimum velocity needed to transport a sediment 0.2 cm in diameter? _____________
b. What sediment diameter would be first be transported when the velocity reaches 60 cm/s? _______
c. What sediments are transported when the velocity of a stream is 100 cm/s? ___________________
9. Compare Young rivers, mature rivers, and old rivers in terms of gradient, velocity, and energy.
a. Young: ________________________________________________________________________
b. Mature: _______________________________________________________________________
c. Old: __________________________________________________________________________
10. Identify each stage of the river from the images below.

A: __________________ B: ___________________ C: _____________________

 11. What happens to the width of a flood plain as the river goes through the different stages from young to
old. ______________________________________________________________________________
12. Identify the shape of the valley that forms from rivers: ______________________________________
13. Define meander: ___________________________________________________________________
a. How does the velocity of a river change on the outer edge of a meander? _____________________
b. How does the amount of erosion change on the outer edge of a meander? _____________________
c. How does the velocity of a river change on the inner edge of a meander? _____________________
d. How does the amount of erosion change on the inner edge of a meander? _____________________
14. Draw the stream profiles based on the image below (assume B/C as well as D/E are in line).
a. X ________________ Y

b. B ________________ C

c. E _________________ D

15. Identify two features that form when a stream enters a large body of water. ______________________
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16. Describe how the velocity changes as a river enters a large body of water. _______________________
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17. Why are boulders the first sized sediment to be deposited in a river depositional system.
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18. Fill in the image below will the sediment sized and where they would be deposited as the exit the
stream.

19. ____ River deposition is characterized by being

a. Sorted and rounded c. Unsorted and rounded
b. Sorted and angular d. Unsorted and angular
6. Erosion: Glaciers
1. Define glacier: _____________________________________________________________________
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2. What force allows for glaciers to move: __________________________________________________
3. Identify the shape of a valley that glaciers carve out ________________________________________
4. Describe the difference between glacial advancement and glacial retreat. ________________________
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 5. Define a moraine: ___________________________________________________________________
6. ____ Glacial deposition is characterized by being
a. Sorted and rounded b. Sorted and angular c. Unsorted and rounded d. Unsorted and angular
7. Define striations: ___________________________________________________________________
8. Explain how striations are able to show the direction of movement of glaciers. ____________________
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9. Describe how kettle lakes form: ________________________________________________________
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10. Define an erratic: ___________________________________________________________________
11. Why do the boulders found in central park have a different composition than the bedrock found beneath
them? ____________________________________________________________________________
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12. Define an outwash plain. _____________________________________________________________
13. What is a drumlin? __________________________________________________________________
Analyze the image below and answer the questions that follow

14. What glacial feature is shown in the contour map?

__________________________________________
15. What compass direction did the glacier move to form
this glacier? _____________________________

16. ____ The sediment found in the drumlin is described as being

a. Cemented b. Unsorted c. Horizontally sorted d. Vertically sorted
7. Wave Erosion
1. What is longshore drift? ______________________________________________________________
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2. Describe how long shore drift is able to move sediment. _____________________________________
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The image below shows Jetties/ Groins. Answer questions 4-6 that follow.

3. What process brings the sediment onto shore at an

angle? __________________________________

4. What compass direction are the waves moving?

___________________________

a. Explain why you choose that compass direction. _____________________________________

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5. Why do beaches would want to build Jetties and groins. _____________________________________
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6. What are barrier islands? _____________________________________________________________
7. Why are barrier islands important? _____________________________________________________
8. Wind Erosion:
1. Identify the type of climate most wind erosion most frequently takes place in. ____________________
2. Identify the type of weathering that occurs with wind. _______________________________________
3. What are some characteristics that wind erosion is able to create on sediment surfaces? _____________
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4. Identify two surface features that form in deserts due to wind erosion: __________________________
5. The image below shows a sediment with wind going from left to right. Draw how the sediment will
appear after being subjected to abrasion for an extended period of time.

Wind

6. Based on the image below, what direct did the wind move to create the sand dune? ________________

7. Describe the relationship between wind velocity and sediment size. ____________________________
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8. Explain why planting vegetation will keep soil and sand dunes intact. __________________________
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9. Deposition
1. Define deposition: __________________________________________________________________
2. Explain the relationship between sediment size and settling time. ______________________________
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3. Explain the relationship between sediment size and settling rate. ______________________________
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4. Explain the relationship between sediment density and settling time. ___________________________
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5. Explain the relationship between sediment density and settling rate. ____________________________
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6. Explain the relationship between sediment shape and settling time. ____________________________
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7. Explain the relationship between sediment shape and settling rate. _____________________________
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8. In the space below, draw and label how sediments would look with horizontal sorting, and draw and
label how sediments would appear in vertical sorting.
Horizontal Sorting Vertical Sorting

9. Define graded bedding: ______________________________________________________________

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