How water's properties change rock and land

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Card (USGS)

   Ice is about 9% less dense than liquid water. The same mass of water takes about 10% more space as ice, since 1 ÷ 0.91 is about 1.10.

2. 1.

   A crack holds 100 mL of water. It freezes. Using the card, how much space does Ari's ice need?

   • About 110 mL, found as 100 × 1.10
   • About 100 mL, the same space as the water
   • About 190 mL, found as 100 × 1.90
   • About 91 mL, found as 100 × 0.91
3. 2.

   Water in a rock crack freezes and the rock splits wider. Bo asks why. Which explanation fits USGS?

   • The ice dissolves the rock walls as it forms
   • The water shrinks as it freezes and pulls the crack apart
   • The cold makes the rock expand until it splits by itself
   • The water expands as it freezes and pushes the crack wider

4. Daily lows and highs in °C (model data)

   Site	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
   Site A low	-12	-10	-11
   Site A high	-3	-2	-4
   Site B low	-2	-3	-1
   Site B high	4	3	5

   Note: Each day, water in a crack freezes when the temperature is below 0 and thaws when it is above 0.

5. 3.

   Esme compares two sites over three days. Which site gets more frost wedging, where water repeatedly freezes and thaws in cracks?

   • Neither, since both sites drop below 0 °C
   • Site A, since its ice stays frozen and builds up
   • Site B, since it crosses 0 °C every day
   • Site A, since it gets much colder than Site B
6. 4.

   Drips that lose carbon dioxide deposit calcite on the cave ceiling and floor. Water drips from a cave ceiling and loses carbon dioxide, leaving calcite behind. What does Luz see build up?

   • The cave room gets wider as the calcite dissolves
   • A sinkhole opens above as the calcite is deposited
   • Stalactites hang down as calcite is deposited
   • Stalactites grow as the ceiling dissolves away

7. Use this

   Table, Stream speeds for particles (model data, rounded), with columns Particle, Speed to pick it up (cm/s), Speed below which it settles (cm/s): Clay, 100, 1; Sand, 20, 10; Gravel, 60, 40. Note: Numbers are made up to show the pattern of the Hjulstrom diagram; real values differ.

8. 5.

   A stream moves at 80 cm/s. Using the table, which particles can Milo's stream pick up?

   • Clay and sand, since small particles are easiest to lift
   • Clay, gravel and sand, since 80 cm/s is fast
   • Sand and gravel, but not clay
   • Gravel alone, since it is the heaviest
9. 6.

   A river carrying sand enters a calm lake and slows to 5 cm/s. Using the table, what happens to the sand for Noah?

   • It dissolves in the lake water as it slows
   • It settles out, since sand settles below 10 cm/s
   • It keeps moving, since it was carried upstream
   • It is lifted again, since slow water picks up sand
10. 7.

    In a river bend the water moves faster on the outside curve and slower on the inside curve. Water flows faster on the outside of a river bend and slower on the inside. Where does Pia find a sand bar?

    • On both sides equally, since the stream is the same
    • On the outside of the bend, where the water is faster
    • On the inside of the bend, where the water is slower
    • In the middle of the stream, where the water is deepest

11. Jar test (model data)

    Water, gravel, sand and clay were shaken together. Gravel settled in 10 seconds, sand in 5 minutes, and clay still clouded the water after 2 days.

12. 8.

    In a jar test (model data), gravel settled in 10 seconds, sand in 5 minutes, and clay left the water cloudy for 2 days. What does Ren infer?

    • The particles settle together, since gravity is the same
    • Clay settles first, since it is the smallest particle
    • Sand settles first, since it is the middle size
    • Larger particles settle faster; clay stays suspended the longest
13. 9.

    a rock cracks after 200 freeze-thaw cycles. Site B has 120 cycles a year. A rock cracks after 200 freeze-thaw cycles. Site B has 120 cycles a year. About how many years does Tala expect?

    • About 24,000 years, found as 200 × 120
    • About 1.7 years, found as 200 ÷ 120
    • About 0.6 years, found as 120 ÷ 200
    • About 80 years, found as 200 − 120
14. 10.

    Choices describe results in a stream table (model data). Zee wants a result that supports the claim that slowing water drops sediment. Which result fits?

    • Sand stayed on the bed in fast water, then moved when it slowed
    • Sand moved in a narrow channel, then stayed there as it narrowed
    • Gravel moved farther in slow water than in fast water
    • Sand moved in a narrow channel, then settled where it widened