Weathering, erosion and deposition: how land is worn down and built up
Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
On Esme's river map, P is the outside bank of a bend, Q the inside bank, and R a straight stretch. Over many years, which bank wears away most?
- Q, on the inside bend, where sand piles up in a bar
- Neither; banks change just in big floods
- P, on the outside bend, where water is fastest
- Both banks wear away equally
On the same map, which spot does Jun predict will grow new land over the years?
Use the picture in question 1.
- R, the straight stretch, where the water speeds up
- Q, the inside bend, where slow water drops sand
- P, since erosion builds land there
- P, the outside bend, where fast water drops sand
Side view, not to scale. A dam slows a river into a long lake. Over many years, what does Kira predict builds up on the lake floor behind the dam?
- Less sand, since the water there moves faster
- Sediment, dropped where the water slows
- Weathered rock from the dam itself
- Nothing; the dam stops erosion entirely
Luz's friend says weathering and erosion are two words for the same thing. Which response is best?
- Disagree: weathering breaks rock; erosion moves the pieces
- Agree: and water is the one agent for both
- Disagree: erosion is when pieces are dropped
- Agree: both words mean rock slowly wearing down over time
A post claims only water shapes land, because wind is too weak to move rock. Milo checks it. Which response is best?
- Agree: water does the shaping
- Disagree: wind melts rock in deserts
- Agree: wind can weather rock but cannot move it
- Disagree: wind carries sand and builds dunes
Gentle slope, 20 g of sand moved; medium slope, 45 g; steep slope, 80 g. Pia's class read about a stream-table test: the same water poured for 1 minute down sand at three slopes. What does the data show?
- Slope makes no difference
- The sand was weathered, not moved
- Steeper slopes mean faster water and more erosion
- Steeper slopes make the water drop more of its sand
At the bottom of the stream table, the water spreads out and slows. What does Ren predict happens to the sand there?
- The water picks up even more sand from the bottom there
- It dissolves into the water there
- It settles into a fan, like a small delta
- It is weathered into clay there
Tala's class shook sugar cubes in a closed, dry jar for 1, 3 and 5 minutes. The cubes got smaller and rounder each time. What does this model?
- Mechanical weathering by pieces rubbing together
- Deposition of sugar dust
- The sugar dissolving in water
- Erosion by wind in the jar
Rain keeps washing soil off a bare slope beside Zee's school. Which plan would slow the erosion most?
- Nothing; rain cannot move soil
- Pile loose sand on top
- Plant grass and shrubs whose roots hold the soil
- Leave the slope bare so the rain can run off faster
Wind blows dry topsoil off a flat, bare farm field. Which plan does Bo pick to help most?
- Water the field once a year
- Nothing; wind cannot move soil
- Plant rows of trees as a windbreak
- Plow the field bare and smooth so the dust settles