Landforms

Which of the following best describes how a landform might be created by moving wind, water, or ice? 

• Lava cools and hardens, creating  a new island. 
• A river deposits sediments in a delta near the coast. 
• A beach becomes smaller over time, due to wave action. 
• A glacier gets larger as snow builds up on a mountain. 

Which of the following best describers how erosion can change the shape of a valley? 

• Large boulders are broken down by freezing water. 
• Glaciers carve a U-shape as they move downhill. 
• Large quantities of snow build up and compact into ice.
• Winds blowing on water create powerful waves. 

Observations of sand dunes, like the one pictured here in the Mojave Desert, reveal two characteristics of dunes. First, sand dunes have a long side with a gentle slope and a short side with a steep slope. Second, they tend to move from one place to another over time. Which of the following best explains the cause of these characteristics?

• Deserts tend to be very hot year round.
• Wind shapes and moves sand dunes.
• Rain creates the unique form of sand dunes.
• Temperature changes break large desert rocks.

Students wanted to model the way erosion by water can create certain land forms. They let water pour, in a thin line, over a salt brick for half an hour. The way in which the brick changed is shown above. Which of the following best describes the real world landform they modeled?

• Stream deposits creating a delta
• A river carving out a canyon
• Folding of rock layers building a mountain
• Glacial melt water filling a lake

All of the following land forms are the result of moving wind water and ice EXCEPT –

• A canyon
• A sand dune
• A delta
• A mountain

Which of the following is a process that creates the sediments that form sedimentary rock?

• Wind, water, and ice breaking rock into smaller pieces
• Heat from the earth melting rock below the surface
• Volcanoes putting out lava that cools to form new rock
• Continents pushing together to fold layers of rock

Coal and oil formed in places that, in ancient times, produced large amounts of –

• Thermal energy
• Organic matter
• Ocean currents
• Volcanic activity

Which of the following locations would most likely produce sedimentary rock after much time has passed?

• A beach where sand is being deposited
• A mountain that receives snow year around
• A volcano that erupts frequently 
• A rocky desert that is windy all the time

In order for plants to be changed into fossil fuels, the plants must first die, and then be –

• decomposed by bacteria
• eaten by consumers
• completely dried out
• buried deep underground

Small particles of broken down rock can be formed into sedimentary rock when they are buried and then –

• melted completely because of extreme heat
• compressed and cemented together
• pushed upward and exposed to wind and water
• contaminated by underground nuclear material