Science Weathering and Erosion

Explain why "Rocks and soil are transported from one place to another" more accurately describes what happens in erosion than "Rocks are broken down into smaller pieces".

"Rocks and soil are transported from one place to another" more accurately describes "Rocks are broken down into smaller pieces" because "Rocks are broken down into smaller pieces" tells us that rocks are just being broken down. "Rocks and soil are transported from one place to another" tells us that when soil and rock are transported, it is broken down and moved at the same time.

Identify and define the 3 materials which make up soil.

Humus or other organic materials- Big and small chunks of dirt. Gravel- Hard rock that can be small pebbles. Sand- Small weathered rock. Usually very tiny pieces.

State how you know that it may take thousands of years to weather a rock into smaller particles.

I know because when I did a lab about weathering a rock, we got a tiny bit of powder from scraping it with a scooper fro about five minutes. In real life it would take thousands and thousands of years to move particles and making them smaller at the same time.

Explain why marble gravel would chemically weather faster than a large stone statue and a quartz gravel.

It would weather faster because the marble would react with the acid rain. Also, small pieces are more likely to be weathered than larger pieces because more surfaces of the smaller pieces are exposed to chemical weathering.

Explain the difference between physical and chemical weathering.

Rocks are physically weathered by cracking and than breaking them into smaller and smaller pieces. Rocks are chemically weathered when a chemical reaction takes place between a rock and another chemical. The difference is that physical weathering is a process that weathers rock without a chemical reaction or change. Chemical weathering changes the identity of rocks and it involves a chemical reaction or change.

How do you know that the particles that make up soil are normally NOT all the same size?

Soil can be made up of different materials that are different shapes and sizes. Some of the materials are humus, rock particles, gravel, and organic materials.

Decide which of the following is least likely to speed up chemical weathering in an area. Then, explain why it is least likely AND why the other selections may indeed speed up chemical weathering. Feel free to refer to question 1a and 1b to help distinguish and tell the difference between chemical and physical. A. Wind blowing over a field. B. Plants releasing oxygen into the air. C. Animals releasing carbon dioxide into the air. D. Power plants releasing sulfur dioxide into the air.

A - Least Likely because it doesn't involve any chemical properties. B - Plants have acid that can subject rock to chemical weathering. C - Animals dig into the ground which exposes new rock to chemical weathering. D - Power plants that release sulfur acid can spread it everywhere. It is a type of pollutant that can chemically weather rocks because it is a chemical.

Circle the items which allow erosion to take place. Then, for each of the following, explain how it allows erosion to take place or why it does not allow erosion to take place. A. Water B. Trees C. Wind

A Water- Yes it allows erosion to take because it helps the flow of the eroded rock. B Trees- Does not allow erosion to take place because they block erosion from happening. C Wind- Helps erosion take place because it speeds it up or it can slow it down depending on which way the wind is going. Water allows erosion to take place. Wind can help erosion but it also cannot help erosion.

What is a chemical property and how does this help you answer question 1? (Explain the difference between physical and chemical weathering.)

A chemical property is a characteristic that is changed and evident from a chemical reaction. This helps me answer question 1 because chemical weathering will involve chemical changes.

What is a physical property and how does this help you answer question 1? (Explain the difference between physical and chemical weathering.)

A physical property is a characteristic that can be observed without changing the identity of a substance. It helps me answer question 1 because I know physical change and weathering will be alike because it does not change the substance.

A sieve can be used to analyze soil. Circle the sentence that most accurately describes how a sieve analyzes soil. Then, explain why each incorrect answer is incorrect and why the one you chose is correct. A. They break soil down into small particles. B. They separate the organic part of soil from the inorganic parts. C. They separate soil by particle size. D. They remove all gravel from soil.

A. Incorrect because a sieve separates soil, it does not break it down. B. Incorrect because it separates all of the parts in soil not just the organic and inorganic and it's by size. C. Correct because the sieve does separate it by the size of the particles. D. Incorrect because it does not remove gravel, it separates it.

Physical weathering contributes to the formation of soil. Circle the answer choice that contributes to the formation plants. A. It breaks down dead remains of plants and animals into an organic component. B. It breaks large rock into small pieces. C. It transports soil material and helps accumulate in certain places. D. It creates nutrients for plants and animals.

B. It breaks large rocks into small pieces. Because it breaks down the large rocks into teeny tiny pieces which can turn into gravel or sand which is a component of soil.

This question will be an exact question on the test. Pick 2 of the following concepts. Define each. - Geologic Time Concept, - Big Bang Theory, - Continental Drift, - Makeup of the earth (Crust, core, mantle) - Plate tectonics

Big Bang Theory- The big bang was caused from weathering from the asteroid that hit. Continental Drift- The movement of the continents across the earth's surface.

Explain how each of the following could cause physical weathering: Growing Tree roots, Rain, Freezing and thawing ice.

Growing tree roots- Growing tree roots causes physical weathering because the roots grow into rocks and as they grow bigger they crack the rocks. · Rain- Rain causes physical weathering because it carries away rock particles that have been grinded off. Also when rain falls into cracks of rocks, it can cause freeze thaw. Freezing and thawing ice - Freezing and thawing ice causes weathering because when water freezes in a rock it expands and cracks the rock.

This question will be an exact question on the test. Pick 2 that you did not pick on question 14 and explain how this topic connects to erosion and weathering. - Geologic Time Concept - Big Bang Theory - Continental Drift - Makeup of the earth (Crust, core, mantle) - Plate tectonics

Makeup of the Earth- Chemical and physical weathering both occur in the layers of the earth. The rocks which make up the mantle crack and break which makes earthquakes. Plate Tectonics- Plate tectonics move and crack (very lightly) which can be weathering. When the plate tectonics rub against each other they might make some powder of the rock fall off of the plate tectonics.

Physical and chemical weathering actually combine to weather rocks. How does this happen?

Physical weathering exposes rock to chemical weathering. When erosion and weathering work together it increases the speed of the whole process. For example, when a rock is rained on, it forms cracks which is physical weathering but when acidic rain fills those cracks and makes a chemical reaction, it's chemical weathering.

Sheila lives on a hill and is concerned about erosion damaging her house. What could she do in order to reduce erosion around the house?

Sheila could add trees or other plants to the hill around her house. Vegetation decreases erosion by slowing the flow of water and catching and preventing soil from flowing down the hill. She could also add other obstacles such as large stones or fences. These also will decrease erosion by slowing the flow of water and by catching and making sure soil doesn't flow down the hill.