Lithosphere Part 2

Growth and activities of organisms can speed up the chemical weathering of rocks. Which organisms naturally cause most of the chemical weathering of rocks?

• small mammals
• plant seedlings 
• mosses 
• insects

Which of these best describes how the surface of the beach is formed?

• mechanical weathering
• chemical weathering
• mass movement
• volcanic eruption

Some forests develop after farmland is abandoned. Grasses may be overtaken by pine trees which are eventually replaced by hardwood trees. During this process, the soil also changes. Which change during this process is a form of chemical weathering?

• Water intake by trees reduces soil water content
• Recycled organic matter from trees lowers soil pH
• Rocks broken apart by tree roots add texture to the soil
• Increased shade from the tree canopy lowers soil temperature

Which is an example of organic weathering of rocks?

• glaciers moving large pieces of a fractured rock
• tree roots growing in a fractured rock
• ice freezing on a rock surface
• wind blowing sand against a rock surface

Which of these is a property of water that allows it to transport materials through the Earth system?

• It expands as it solidifies
• It is transparent
• It dissolves many substances
• It is a compound

A group of citizens want to have a statue built out of marble. They want to place it in a climate that has a slow rate of chemical weathering. In which type of climate would it be best to place the statue for the slowest rate of chemical weathering?

• hot and dry
• cold and dry
• hot and humid
• cold and humid

Some aquifers are composed of limestone and dolomite.  Which process increases the open spaces of the aquifer formation?

• wave action
• wind erosion
• tensional faulting
• chemical weathering

What is one effect the hydrosphere has on the lithosphere?

• erosion of rocks
• evaporation of water
• heating of the core
• melting of the crust

Before rock can become soil.  It must undergo certain processes.  One process in the formation of soil involves plants.  How can plants chemically change rocks into soil?

• They weather rocks with acid
• They strip the rocks of minerals
• They break rocks into small pieces
• They increase the density of the rocks

Which of these serve as protective barriers along coastlines and are often destroyed when hit by a strong hurricane?

• the erosion of land along coastline
• the buildup of dunes along the coast over time
• the new construction of buildings along the coastline
• the buildup of organic material from oil rigs along the coast