Science - Test 4 (short answer)

Question 1

the main agent of chemical weathering

Answer 1

water

Question 2

regions of the earth’s surface where limestone is exposed and abundant

Answer 2

karst

Question 3

a narrow, sandy island formed by a large bar off the coast of the mainland

Answer 3

barrier island

Question 4

ice sheets smaller than continental glaciers

Answer 4

ice caps

Question 5

the sharp, steeple-shaped point of a mountain with three or more cirques

Answer 5

horn

Question 6

the eroding action of windblown sand

Answer 6

abrasion

Question 7

a long pile of rocks deposited parallel to the shore to prevent erosion

Answer 7

breakwater

Question 8

after rock has been broken into fragments, processes like wind and running water carry away the fragments by this process

Answer 8

erosion

Question 9

when wind transports sediments through suspension, saltation, and creep, they are these processes

Answer 9

eolian

Question 10

name for limestone formations that have become filled with various passageways and large caves

Answer 10

caverns

Question 11

this term describes a huge hole left in the ground when an ice chunk (left by a retreating glacier) melt

Answer 11

kettle

Question 12

the name for the time when one-third of the earth’s land area was covered by glaciers

Answer 12

Ice Age

Question 13

this type of weathering does not change the chemical composition of the minerals that composes a rock

Answer 13

physical

Question 14

the drainage divide in the Rocky Mountains west of the Mississippi River drainage system

Answer 14

Great Divide

Question 15

the name for a vertical face of rock that forms when the sea removes rock from the base of a high ridge

Answer 15

sea cliff

Question 16

this type of weathering occurs when rainwater soaks into cracks in a rock and freezes, splitting the rock

Answer 16

ice wedging

Question 17

a spire-like mass of dripstone on the floor of a cave

Answer 17

stalagmite

Question 18

a sheet of glacial ice that covers an immense area of flat land

Answer 18

continental glacier

Question 19

particles too heavy to be lifted by the wind are rolled in short bursts through this process

Answer 19

creep

Question 20

large, icicle-like masses of calcium carbonate found in caves

Answer 20

dripstone

Question 21

the general term for the downslope movements of rick, soil, volcanic ash, snow, or ice

Answer 21

mass wasting

Question 22

the natural processes that break down rocks are collectively called this

Answer 22

weathering

Question 23

after physical forces carry away rock fragments, the fragments are laid down in a new location through this process

Answer 23

deposition

Question 24

after heavy rain, topsoil can be stripped away by excess water traveling downhill. the excess water is called this…

Answer 24

runoff

Question 25

this is the process of modifying a smooth slope into a series of level, stair-like steps

Answer 25

terracing

Question 26

ESSAY: Discuss what windbreaks and strip-cropping are and how they can help prevent erosion.

Answer 26

Windbreaks are trees, tall plants, or fences designed to minimize land erosion. A windbreak prevents erosion in two ways. 1. reduces the force of the wind. 2. it catches particles to limit their motion. Strip-cropping is planting alternate strips of erosion-prone crops with erosion-preventing crops. The erosion-preventing crops will limit the movement of eroded particles.