All flashcards
Flashcard 1: Which tool is most appropriate to record a clear observation of erosion over time at one spot?
Answer: Photographs taken from the same location over time. Photos document changes, showing material movement over time.
Flashcard 2: Which agent of erosion is most directly shown by sand dunes forming and shifting over time?
Answer: Wind. Wind picks up and deposits sand particles in new locations.
Flashcard 3: Which agent of erosion is most directly shown by a river carrying muddy water after a storm?
Answer: Moving water. Suspended sediment shows water carrying eroded materials.
Flashcard 4: Which agent of erosion is most directly shown by soil slowly moving downhill after heavy rain?
Answer: Gravity. Gravity pulls saturated soil downslope in mass wasting.
Flashcard 5: Which agent of erosion is most directly shown by a glacier pushing rocks and soil as it moves?
Answer: Ice (glaciers). Glacial ice acts like a bulldozer, scraping and transporting debris.
Flashcard 6: What observation best shows deposition has occurred after erosion?
Answer: Sediment is dropped and builds up in a new place. Deposition occurs when erosion agents lose energy and drop sediment.
Flashcard 7: Identify the process shown: footprints in loose soil disappear after strong wind blows.
Answer: Wind erosion moving the loose soil. Wind picked up and transported loose soil particles away.
Flashcard 8: What landform is commonly built by deposition where a river meets an ocean or lake?
Answer: A delta. Rivers slow at mouths, depositing sediment in triangular shapes.
Flashcard 9: Which option is the clearest observation of erosion: rock cracking in place or soil washing into a ditch?
Answer: Soil washing into a ditch. Washing shows movement; cracking is weathering without transport.
Flashcard 10: Identify the evidence of erosion: a stream becomes wider over several years in the same location.
Answer: The stream removed soil from its banks. Flowing water erodes banks outward, widening the channel.
Flashcard 11: Which agent of erosion is moving water (rivers, rain runoff, waves): wind, water, ice, or gravity?
Answer: Water. Rivers, rain, and waves all move earth materials through flowing water.
Flashcard 12: Which term means earth materials are dropped in a new place after moving: erosion or deposition?
Answer: Deposition. Erosion moves materials; deposition drops them in new locations.
Flashcard 13: Identify the best evidence that erosion moved material from one place to another.
Answer: Sediment is missing from one area and built up elsewhere. Material removed from one spot appears in another location.
Flashcard 14: Which observation best shows plant roots reduce erosion on a slope?
Answer: Soil stays in place better where grass or plants cover it. Roots hold soil particles together, preventing erosion.
Flashcard 15: Which observation shows that faster-moving water can carry more sediment than slower water?
Answer: Muddy, fast water carries larger particles than calm water. Fast water has more energy to lift and carry sediment.
Flashcard 16: Which observation best shows that steeper slopes increase erosion by runoff?
Answer: More soil is washed away on a steep slope than a gentle slope. Gravity and water work faster on steeper surfaces.
Flashcard 17: Identify the observation that best shows gravity causing erosion.
Answer: A landslide moving soil and rocks downhill. Gravity pulls unstable materials down steep slopes quickly.
Flashcard 18: Which observation shows deposition at the mouth of a river entering a lake?
Answer: A delta or sandbar forming where the river slows. Rivers drop sediment when they slow down entering larger bodies.
Flashcard 19: Which observation best shows erosion happening along a stream bank?
Answer: The bank is undercut and soil falls into the water. Flowing water removes support, causing bank collapse.
Flashcard 20: Which observation best shows waves causing erosion on a coastline?
Answer: Cliffs or shorelines wearing away where waves hit. Wave energy breaks rock and carries away the pieces.
Flashcard 21: Which observation best shows deposition when a river slows down on a flat area?
Answer: Sand and silt settle out and form a new layer of sediment. Slower water can't carry sediment, so particles settle out.
Flashcard 22: Identify the observation that best shows glacier erosion.
Answer: Scratches or grooves in rock where ice moved over it. Moving glaciers scrape bedrock, leaving these marks behind.
Flashcard 23: Identify the observation that best shows wind erosion in a dry area.
Answer: Sand or dust piling into drifts after strong winds. Wind picks up particles and drops them when it slows down.
Flashcard 24: Identify the observation that best shows water erosion on a hillside after rain.
Answer: Small channels (rills) cut into the soil by runoff. Flowing water carves these grooves as it carries soil away.
Flashcard 25: What is the key difference between weathering and erosion?
Answer: Weathering breaks rock; erosion moves the broken material. Weathering is the breaking process; erosion is the transport process.
Flashcard 26: Which observation shows deposition after erosion in water?
Answer: A sandbar forms where the water slows down. Slower water drops sediment, creating new landforms.
Flashcard 27: Which landform most directly shows that a river has eroded the land over time?
Answer: A canyon or river valley. Rivers carve deep channels through continuous erosion.
Flashcard 28: Which agent of erosion is moving material when a river carries sand downstream?
Answer: Flowing water. Rivers transport sediment downstream through water flow.
Flashcard 29: Which observation is strongest evidence that erosion is happening in a stream?
Answer: Sediment is carried in the water and deposited downstream. Moving sediment proves erosion is actively occurring.
Flashcard 30: Identify the observation that best shows erosion, not weathering: rock cracks or sand moves away.
Answer: Sand moves away. Movement of material indicates erosion; cracking is weathering.