Physical And Chemical Weathering Answers

Base your answers to questions 1 through 4 onthe laboratory experiment described below.The weathering of four different rock samples with different masses was studied. Each rocksample was placed in a separate beaker containing 500 milliliters of a dilute acid for 10 minutes.Bubbling was observed in some of the beakers. The data table below shows the mass of eachsample, in grams, before placement in the acid and after removal from the acid.1. Which table correctly shows the classification of the rock samples based on the amount of weatheringduring this experiment?A)B)C)D)2. Which Earth process is being modeled in this experiment?A) physical weathering in the hydrosphereB) physical weathering in the mesosphereC) chemical weathering in the hydrosphereD) chemical weathering in the mesosphere3. Which property of the gneiss sample prevented it from weathering?A) crystalline textureB) mineral compositionC) densityD) cleavage4. Approximately what percentage of the marble sample remained after the experiment?A) 0.4%B) 8.0%C) 20.7%D) 99.6%

5. Which agent of erosion is most likely responsible forthe deposition of sandbars along ocean shorelines?A) glaciersB) mass movementC) wave actionD) wind action6. The diagram below shows four magnified block-shaped sandstone samples labeled A, B, C, andD.Each sandstone sample contains quartz grains of different shapes and sizes. The quartz grains are heldtogether by hematite cement.In which sample did the quartz grains undergo the most abrasion during erosional transport?A) AB) BC) C7. At high elevations, which is the most common formof physical weathering?A)B)C)D)abrasion of rocks by the windalternate freezing and melting of waterdissolving of minerals into solutionoxidation by oxygen in the atmosphereD) D

8. Base your answer to the following question on on the photographs and news article below.Old Man’s Loss Felt in New HampshireFRANCONIA, N.H. — Crowds of visitors were drawn to Franconia Notch on Sunday to mourn theloss of New Hampshire’s well-known symbol — the Old Man of the Mountain granite profile.The 700-ton natural formation was just a pile of rocks after breaking loose from its 1,200-foot-highmountainside perch. It was unclear when the outcropping fell because clouds had obscured the areaThursday and Friday; a state park trail crew discovered the collapse Saturday morning.The famous mountain’s history dates millions of years. Over time, nature carved out a 40-foot-tallprofile resembling an old man’s face, and it eventually became New Hampshire’s most recognizablesymbol.The Buffalo News, May 5, 2003Which agent of erosion is most likely responsible for the collapse of the granite profile?A) running waterB) glacial iceC) wave actionD) mass movement9. Impact craters are more obvious on the Moon and10. Which type of climate has the greatest amount ofMercury than on Earth becauserock weathering caused by frost action?A) meteorites have not struck EarthB) weathering processes on Earth have removedmost cratersC) Earth is younger than Mercury or the MoonD) all meteorites burn up in Earth's atmosphereA) a wet climate in which temperatures remainbelow freezingB) a wet climate in which temperaturesalternate from below freezing to abovefreezingC) a dry climate in which temperatures remainbelow freezingD) a dry climate in which temperatures alternatefrom below freezing to above freezing

11. Adding automobile exhaust gases to the atmospherehas had the greatest impact on landscapedevelopment byA)B)C)D)changing the position of crustal plateschanging Earth’s prevailing wind patternsincreasing the rate of chemical weatheringincreasing the amount of ozone in groundwater12. In the cartoon below, Lucy gives Linus incorrectinformation about pebbles.15. Which geologic feature is caused primarily bychemical weathering?A) large caves in limestone bedrockB) a pattern of parallel cracks in a granitemountainC) blocks of basalt at the base of a steep slopeD) the smooth, polished surface of a rock in a dry,sandy area16. The demonstration shown in the diagram belowindicates that powdered limestone reacts faster thana single large piece of limestone of equal mass whenboth are placed in acid.If Lucy wanted to give Linus correct informationabout pebbles, which statement would be mostaccurate?A) Pebbles can become cemented together to forma rock called gabbro.B) Pebble is the name given to the smallest-sizesediment.C) Any large rock that weathers could become apebble.D) Magma is composed of pebbles.13. Which rock weathers most rapidly when exposed toacid rain?A) quartziteB) graniteC) basaltD) limestone14. What occurs when a rock is crushed into a pile offragments?A) The total surface area decreases and chemicalcomposition changes.B) The total surface area decreases and chemicalcomposition remains the same.C) The total surface area increases and chemicalcomposition changes.D) The total surface area increases andchemical composition remains the same.The most likely reason powdered limestone reactsfaster is that it hasA) less total volumeB) more chemical bondsC) more total surface areaD) lower density17. Chemical weathering will occur most rapidly whenrocks are exposed to theA)B)C)D)hydrosphere and lithospheremesosphere and thermospherehydrosphere and atmospherelithosphere and atmosphere

Base your answers to questions 18 through 20 on flowchart below, which shows a general overviewof the processes and substances involved in the weathering of rocks at Earth’s surface. Letter Xrepresents an important substance involved in both major types of weathering, labeled A and Bon theflowchart. Some weathering processes are defined below the flowchart.18. Which weathering process is most common in a hot, dry environment?A) abrasionB) carbonationC) frost actionD) hydrolysis19. Which substance is represented by X on both sides of the flowchart?A) potassium feldsparB) airC) hydrochloric acidD) water20. Which term best identifies the type of weathering represented by A?A) physicalB) biologicalC) chemical21. By which processes are rocks broken up and movedto different locations?A)B)C)D)evaporation and condensationweathering and erosionburial and cementationcompaction and transportationD) glacial

22. The diagram below represents equal masses of twoidentical rock samples. Sample A is one large block,while sample B was cut into four smaller blocks ofequal size.If subjected to the same environmental conditions,sample B will weather more quickly than sample A.The best explanation for this is that theA) volume of sample B is greater than that ofsample AB) surface area of sample B is greater than thatof sample AC) density of sample A is greater than that ofsample BD) hardness of sample A is greater than that ofsample B23. The diagram below shows an outcrop of differentlayers of sandstone in a region receiving heavyrainfall.Which sandstone layer appears to be the leastresistant to weathering?A) AB) BC) CD) D

Base your answers to questions 24 and 25 on the graph below, which shows the effect that averageyearly precipitation and temperature have on the type of weathering that will occur in a particularregion.24. Which type of weathering is most common where the average yearly temperature is 5 C and theaverage yearly precipitation is 45 cm?A) moderate chemical weatheringB) very slight weatheringC) moderate chemical weathering with frost actionD) slight frost action25. The amount of chemical weathering will increase ifA)B)C)D)air temperature decreases and precipitation decreasesair temperature decreases and precipitation increasesair temperature increases and precipitation decreasesair temperature increases and precipitation increases26. In which climate would the chemical weathering oflimestone occur most rapidly?A) cold and dryC) warm and dryB) cold and humidD) warm and humid

27. The block diagram below represents caves thatdeveloped in a region over time.31. The diagram below shows granite bedrock withcracks. Water has seeped into the cracks and frozen.The arrows represent the directions in which thecracks have widened due to weathering.Which type of weathering was primarily responsiblefor the development of these caves?A) physical weathering of sandstoneB) physical weathering of limestoneC) chemical weathering of sandstoneD) chemical weathering of limestone28. Which factor has the least effect on the weatheringof a rock?A) climatic conditionsB) composition of the rockC) exposure of the rock to the atmosphereD) the number of fossils found in the rock29. A rock will weather faster after it has been crushedbecause itsA) volume has been increasedB) surface area has been increasedC) density has been decreasedD) molecular structure has been altered30. Why is the surface of Mercury covered with meteorimpact craters, while Earth’s surface has relativelyfew craters?A) Mercury is larger than Earth, so it gets hit withmore meteors.B) Mercury is an older planet, so it has a longerhistory of meteor impacts.C) Earth’s less dense water surface attracts fewermeteors.D) Earth’s hydrosphere and atmospheredestroyed or buried most meteor impactsites.Which statement best describes the physicalweathering shown by the diagram?A) Enlargement of the cracks occurs becausewater expands when it freezes.B) This type of weathering occurs only in bedrockcomposed of granite.C) The cracks become wider because of chemicalreactions between water and the rock.D) This type of weathering is common in regionsof primarily warm and humid climates.32. Landscapes will undergo the most chemicalweathering if the climate isA) cool and dryB) cool and wetC) warm and dryD) warm and wet33. Which characteristic would most likely remainconstant when a limestone cobble is subjected toextensive abrasion?A) shapeB) massC) volumeD) composition34. Which activity demonstrates chemical weathering?A) freezing of water in the cracks of a sandstonesidewalkB) abrasion of a streambed by tumbling rocksC) grinding of talc into a powderD) dissolving of limestone by acid rain

35. The diagram below represents a naturally occurringgeologic process.Which process is best illustrated by the diagram?A) cementationB) erosionC) metamorphismD) weathering36. Base your answer to the following question onthe cross section below, which shows the bedrock of a portion of the Helderberg Escarpment, locatedin Thacher State Park near Albany, New York. The rock formations are identified by name.What is the main factor that causes the bedrock to weather at different rates?A) elevation above sea levelC) age of rock layersB) mineral compositionD) environment of formation

37. In the diagram below, sample X and sample Yrepresent equal masses of earth material which areweathering under the same conditions. The sampleshave the same mineral composition.The weathering rate for sample Y will most likely beA) less than XB) greater than XC) the same as X38. Which property of water makes frost action acommon and effective form of weathering?A) Water dissolves many earth materials.B) Water expands when it freezes.C) Water cools the surroundings when itevaporates.D) Water loses 334 Joules of heat per gram when itfreezes.39. The two block diagrams below represent the formation of caves.Which types of weathering and erosion are primarily responsible for the formation of caves?A) chemical weathering and groundwater flowB) chemical weathering and runoffC) physical weathering and groundwater flowD) physical weathering and runoff40. Which process involves either a physical or chemicalbreakdown of earth materials?A) depositionC) weatheringB) sedimentationD) cementing