Weathering, Erosion and Deposition

Acid rain is caused by

burning fossil fuels

permeable

penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through

unloading/exfoliation

removal of overlying sediment and rock

root wedging

roots growing under rocks causing it to break

Hydrolysis

the chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water.

What type of erosion is considered to be the weakest form?

Wind Erosion

Erosion is caused by these forces

Wind, Water, Ice and Gravity

How does wind abrasion work?

Wind-blown sediment strikes a surface of a rock and chips at the rock breaking off small pieces

The formation of stalactites and stalagmites in a cave as water mixed with carbon dioxide creates carbonic acid, which dissolves away the limestone, is an example of

Chemical weathering - Carbonation

A metal (copper) statue slowly turning green after years of being outside is an example of:

Chemical weathering - oxidation

How is chemical weathering different from mechanical weathering?

Chemical weathering changes the chemical composition of rocks; mechanical weathering does not.

How is mechanical weathering different from chemical weathering?

Chemical weathering changes the chemical composition of rocks; mechanical weathering does not.

Martha has a garden in her yard. During a heavy rainstorm some of the soil is washed away. Which term best describes the movement of soil from one place to another?

Erosion

High-energy environments are most likely to deposit which one of the following?

Larger sediment

What is rust?

A chemical reaction when iron comes in contact with oxygen

Glacier Erosion typically forms?

"U" Vallys

Water Erosion typically forms?

"V" Vallys

Runoff is increased by

A steeper gradient Wet Land A lack of vegetation

Rocks that were made smooth by wind blowing smaller rock particles across their surface. This is an example of:

Abrasion

Carbon dioxide (CO2) combines with water as raindrops fall through the atmosphere. This makes a weak acid, called carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is a very common in nature, where it works to dissolve rock. Pollutants, such as sulfur and nitrogen from fossil fuel burning, create sulfuric and nitric acid. Sulfuric and nitric acids are the two main components of acid rain, which speeds up chemical weathering.This statue was probably destroyed by _____.

Acid Rain

How does slope affect mass wasting?

An increased gradient means the sediment can get carried away faster

action of animals

Animals that burrow in the ground loosen and break apart rocks in the soil

Describe how animals that burrow into the ground are a source of mechanical weathering.

As animals dig, move, claw, and walk they break and chip away at rocks through their actions

Water erosion begins at what point?

As runoff

How can rocks be weathered as trees continue to grow over it?

As tree grow their roots wedge their way into the cracks of rocks and over time slowly break the rock apart

Lichens (small green plants) growing on a large boulder release enzymes and other acids that slowly break the rock apart. This is an example of

Chemical Weathering - Living organisms

Chemical weathering breaks down existing rocks by?

Changing them chemically, but not physically

Mechanical weathering breaks down existing rocks by?

Changing them physically, but not chemically

Rocks that have slowly broken down and turned a blackish color due to the action of:

Chemical Weathering - Acid Rain

What formation results when a river deposits sediment and it slows down as it enters a large body of water?

Delta

What are the different ways mechanical weathering can break down rocks?

Freezing and Thawing, Unloading, Root Wedging, Actions of Animals, Abrasion

What ways can sediment be deposited

Glaciers Water Wind Gravity

Deposition by Gravity (Mass Movement)

Is caused when water and ice causes rock, soil, snow, or other material to move downhill and pile up at the base of the mountain.

lichen

Live on rocks release chemicals that accelerate the chemical weathering of rocks

What can change the size and shape of rock structures?

Mechanical Weathering

What is the weathering process in which rocks are broken down into smaller pieces (sediments) and do not change the rock composition?

Mechanical Weathering

Rocks along a riverbed that are smoothed from continuously moving water and sediment rubbing against them is an example of:

Mechanical Weathering - Abrasion

Potholes forming in the road after a cold winter is an example of:

Mechanical Weathering - Freezing and Thawing

Weeds growing into the cracks in a sidewalk and the sidewalk begins to crumble is an example of:

Mechanical Weathering - Root Wedging

Oxidation is a chemical reaction that takes place when oxygen reacts with another element. Oxygen is very strongly chemically reactive. The most familiar type of oxidation is when iron reacts with oxygen to create rust. Which chemical creates rust?

Oxygen

What factors affect deposition?

Particle Size - How big the sediments are. Shape - Round or flat Density - Weight and composition Settling rates - How fast things settle

Deposition

Process in which sediment is laid down in new locations.

Erosion

Processes by which rock, sand, and soil are broken down and carried away by ice, water, wind and gravity

Large rocks near rivers and streams have large crack running in them. How did weathering most likely cause this rock to crack?

Rocks close to the water have water seep into the cracks of rocks then when the water freezes when temperatures drop then this causes the cracks in the rocks to widen

How does vegetation affect mass wasting?

Root systems help keep the soil in place. It also allows more water to be absorbed into the soil.

Crops are often grown on floodplains because the floodplains are usually very fertile. What is the main reason the floodplains are fertile?

Sediment is deposited on the plain each time it floods.

when Carbonic acid dissolves bedrock what can form?

Sinkholes

In a low energy environment such as the middle of a large lake, the most likely sediment size to accumulate is:

Smaller sediment

Describe how freezing and thawing mechanically weathers earth materials.

When water seeps into cracks of rocks then freezes when temperatures drop causing the cracks in the rocks to widen

In a parking lot at a school or store you will notice many cracks in the asphalt. What process could happen this winter to enlarge these cracks?

The cracks are caused by freezing and thawing

Abrasion

The grinding away of rock by other rock particles carried in water, ice, or wind

Chemical Weathering

The process in which rock is broken down by changes in its chemical makeup

What is mechanical weathering?

The process that breaks down rocks physically into smaller pieces by forces of nature.

What two factors determine the rate of chemical weathering is:

The type of rock and climate

Mechanical weathering (physical weathering)

The type of weathering in which rock is physically broken into smaller pieces

How do the actions of animals and plants break down rock

Through chemicals they release as they go through their lives

Rocks that are found in a small creek/stream bed are smooth. Describe how weathering made the rocks so smooth.

Through the action of abrasion the rocks are worn smooth by rock particles carried by water

mass wasting (mass movement) is impacted by?

Vegetation Slope

What is the largest agent of erosion?

Water erosion

A student hiking in a rock area on a mountain notices that wide, deep cracks have formed in some of the large rocks. Some of the cracks are so large that the rocks have broken apart. Which process most likely caused these rocks to crack and creak?

Water freezing and thawing

glacier erosion occurs by?

When sediment is deposited when the glacier melts or retreats backwards

freezing and thawing (ice wedging)

a type of mechanical weathering where water freezes in a crack and expands causing the crack to become larger

Carbonation weathering

carbon dioxide dissolved in oxygen turns the water into weak carbonic acid solution chemical

A marble statue is left exposed to the weather. Within a few years, the details on the statue have begun to weather away. This weathering probably is caused by...

carbonic acid in rainwater

Oxidation

changes the color of the rocks while making the rock more fragile and easier to break.

acid rain effects

kills trees and plants; wears away stone buildings and statues

Storms can cause major changes to barrier islands by removing sand from the island. Which of the following would be expected to remove the most sand during a storm?

large waves crashing on the island

Water Deposition

occurs as water slows down and drops the sediment it was carrying

Glacial Deposition

occurs when glaciers move to a lower altitude or the climate in the area becomes warmer, glaciers begin to melt. During the melting, sediment is often left behind.

Wind Deposition

occurs when smaller pieces of sediment carried by the wind eventually falls to the ground. Wind deposition can form sand dunes.

mass wasting (mass movement)

occurs when soil and rock moves down a slope under the force of gravity

Acid Rain

rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids

Wind picks up sediment from the ground and carries it. As the wind slows down, it deposits the sediment in other places. Which type of sediment will be dropped first as the wind slows?

the heaviest pieces

Deflation

the process by which wind removes surface materials