Unit 4 Study Guide
Weathering and Erosion
_____________ are ridges of till left behind when a
glacier stops moving forward.
Moraines
A(n) _________________ is the triangular or fan-shaped
deposit of sediment that forms where a river empties into an
ocean or lake.
Delta
A(n) ____________________ is formed when water empties
into a lake or ocean.
Delta
Erosion and weathering are classified as destructive
processes. How is deposition classified?
Deposition is constructive
Erosion caused by the sandblasting effect of windblown
sediments is called _______________________.
Abrasion
How can people reduce wind erosion?
Plant trees around farmland
How is water a weathering agent?
It dissolves minerals in rocks
Rock fragments dragged by glaciers will gouge
________________ into the rock over which they are moving.
grooves and scratches
Running through the farmer’s flat field is a slow moving
stream with large meanders.
old stream
The four agents of erosion are wind, water, glaciers, and
____________________.
GRAVITY
The glacier is an agent of ____________________ that pushes
aside trees and drags along rocks.
erosion
The major force behind mass wasting is
______________________________.
gravity
The movement that occurs during mass wasting is caused
by _____________________.
gravity
There is more deposition on the inside of the curves than the
outside. How would you classify this stream?
An old stream
Vegetation on a steep slope
_____________________.
reduces the force of falling rain
reduces the likelihood of a mass wasting event
reduces the amount of water erosion
Walking through an underpass on a bike-path, Jude
noticed what looked like a stalactite hanging from a
crack in the ceiling. It was dripping water.
Jude was seeing an example of:
• erosion, because the water coming through the structure
brought minerals along with it.
• deposition, because as the water dripped it was leaving
minerals behind that were forming the stalactite-like structure.
• even man-made structures are subject to weathering.
Waves usually collide with a shore at slight
____________________.
Angles
What can be compared to sandblasting?
Abrasion
What determines the amount of runoff?
The amount of rain
The amount of vegetation
The slope of the land
What do hoodoos, sea bridges and caves have in
common?
They are formed when erosion removes
less resistant rocks and leaves behind
parts that are more resistant.
What formed when sediments are deposited as
water empties into an ocean or lake?
Loess
What is a broad, C-shaped curve in a stream?
outwash
What is a current that flows parallel to the
shoreline?
longshore currents
What is a jumble of materials deposited by a
retreating glacier?
till
What is a process that wears away surface
materials and moves them from one place to
another?
abrasion
What is deposit formed when river waters empty out
onto a flat open plain?
alluvial fan
What is deposits formed from windblown sand?
dunes
What is one difference between an alpine glacier
and an ice sheet?
Alpine glaciers flow downhill. Ice sheets
move outward from central locations.
What is the broad, flat area located next to a
river?
floodplain
What is the grinding away of rocks or other
surfaces by windblown particles?
abrasion
What is the laying down or settling of eroded
material?
deposition
What is underground opening formed in
limestone?
cave
What is windblown deposits of silt and clay?
loess
When people plant vegetation, they
___________________________ erosion.
reduce
When people remove vegetation, they
____________________________ runoff and the erosion
process.
speed up
Where do erosion and deposition occur in a river?
Erosion occurs as the moving river picks
up soil and moves it downstream.
Deposition occurs when the river
currents slow as it enters the larger body
of water and drops the soil
Where do you find talus?
at the bottom of a rock fall
What are the factor in the speed of erosion?
speed of the water in a stream
strength of the wind
material of the rock
Which of the following can be found in loess?
silt
Which type of processes reshape Earth’s surface?
Both constructive and destructive
You drive down an unpaved road on a dry day, and
the dust blows up in clouds behind you. When you
get home, you see that your car is entirely covered
in dirt. What processes have occurred?
The billowing dust in the air is
undergoing erosion. The dust settling on
your car has undergone deposition
You see a stream that is rushing down a slope,
and notice rolling rapids. Which type of stream is it?
young stream
At a place where a river is flowing slowly, a sand bar
has formed. What created this landform?
Deposition
Explain how erosion and deposition work together to
create stalactites and stalagmites.
As ground water seeps through the earth,
it collects minerals. This is erosion. As it
drips into the cave, the minerals are
deposited forming stalactites and
stalagmites. This is deposition.
Identify each point in the diagram below
A. Horn
B. Arete
C. Cirque
D. Hanging Valley
Are all agents of erosion also agents of
deposition?_____________ Give three specific
examples to support your response.
Yes, all agents of erosion are also agents of deposition. After all,
materials that are worn away and moved must be deposited somewhere
else. For example, a river is an agent of erosion when it picks up
sediment as it moves. It is an agent of deposition when its flow slows and
the sediments fall out of the moving water. A glacier also both erodes
and deposits material. As it moves over land, a glacier picks up rocks
and other sediment. When the glacier begins to melt, the rocks and
sediments are deposited. Wind also erodes and carries materials, such
as sand. When the air flow slows down, the materials are deposited. In
that way, wind is both an agent of erosion and deposition.
Compare and contrast erosion and deposition.
is a process that wears away surface materials
and moves them from one place to another. The
major agents of erosion
All agents of erosion
are gravity, glaciers, wind, deposit the sediments
and water.
they are carrying when
their energy decreases.
Laying down of
sediments is called