Science: Erosion, Weathering, and Deposition Worksheet

Question 1

Define weathering in your own words.

Accepted Answer

Weathering is the process of breaking down rock into smaller pieces at or near Earth's surface.

Question 2

Define erosion in your own words.

Accepted Answer

Erosion is the movement of weathered rock, soil, or sediment from one place to another by water, wind, ice, or gravity.

Question 3

Define deposition in your own words.

Accepted Answer

Deposition is the process in which transported sediment is dropped and settles in a new location.

Question 4

A rock cracks after water seeps into it, freezes overnight, and expands. Is this weathering, erosion, or deposition? Explain.

Accepted Answer

This is weathering because the rock is being broken apart in place by freezing and expanding water.

Question 5

A river carries sand and small pebbles downstream during a storm. Is this weathering, erosion, or deposition? Explain.

Accepted Answer

This is erosion because the river is moving sediment from one place to another.

Question 6

At the mouth of a river, the water slows down and drops layers of mud and sand. Is this weathering, erosion, or deposition? Explain.

Accepted Answer

This is deposition because the river slows down and leaves the sediment behind in layers.

Question 7

Name two agents of erosion and give one example of how each can move sediment.

Accepted Answer

Two agents of erosion are water and wind. Water can carry sand and rocks downstream, and wind can blow dust or sand from one place to another.

Question 8

Explain the difference between mechanical weathering and chemical weathering.

Accepted Answer

Mechanical weathering breaks rock into smaller pieces without changing its composition, while chemical weathering changes the minerals in the rock through chemical reactions.

Question 9

How can plant roots cause weathering?

Accepted Answer

Plant roots can grow into small cracks in rock and push the rock apart as the roots get larger, causing mechanical weathering.

Question 10

Why do larger sediments usually get deposited before smaller sediments when water slows down?

Accepted Answer

Larger sediments usually get deposited first because they are heavier and need more energy to stay moving, so they settle when the water slows down.

Question 11

Describe one landform created mainly by deposition and explain how it forms.

Accepted Answer

A delta is a landform created mainly by deposition. It forms when a river enters a larger body of water, slows down, and drops sediment over time.

Question 12

A steep hillside loses soil after heavy rain, and the loose material collects at the bottom of the slope. Identify one part of this event as erosion and one part as deposition.

Accepted Answer

The soil washing down the hillside is erosion because sediment is being moved. The loose material collecting at the bottom is deposition because the sediment is settling in a new place.

Science: Erosion, Weathering, and Deposition

Science: Erosion, Weathering, and Deposition

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