EARTH SCIENCE Assignment # _____

Name:_____________________________________________Date:__________________Period:_____

Regents Questions

Chapters 4 & 5: Weathering,Erosion,Glaciers

August 2013

8 Sediment samples A through D below have the same volume and packing, but contain different percentages

of various particle sizes.

Sample A: 75% clay and 25% silt

Sample B: 25% clay and 75% sand

Sample C: 50% pebbles and 50% sand

Sample D: 50% pebbles and 50% cobbles

Which sample most likely has the greatest permeability?

(1) A (2) B (3) C (4) D

20 Which two cities are located in the Interior Lowlands?

(1) Elmira and Binghamton (3) Massena and Old Forge

(2) Riverhead and New York City 4) Buffalo and Watertown

21 The large waterfall at Niagara Falls, New York, was originally located at the Niagara Escarpment. Which

term best describes an escarpment?

(1) U-shaped valley (3) cliff

(2) V-shaped valley (4) drumlin

22 Trees growing on the edge of a river’s meander are most likely to fall into the river due to

(1) deposition on the inside of the meander

(2) deposition on the outside of the meander

(3) erosion on the inside of the meander

(4) erosion on the outside of the meander

23 What is the approximate minimum stream velocity needed to keep a 6.4-cm-diameter particle in motion?

(1) 10 cm/s (3) 100 cm/s

(2) 50 cm/s (4) 200 cm/s

24 The photograph below shows a sandstone butte in an arid region.

25 Sediment is deposited in a river delta because the

(1) velocity of the river decreases

(2) force of gravity decreases

(3) volume of the river increases

(4) gradient of the river increases

Base your answers to questions 36 through 38 on the passage below and on your knowledge of Earth

science.

Ice Ages

Earth has undergone many ice ages, each lasting millions of years. Some scientists infer that most ice ages

were caused by landmasses blocking the ocean currents between equatorial regions and the poles. Ice ages

usually ended when the positions of continents allowed ocean currents to resume transporting equatorial heat

to the poles. During each ice age there were advances and retreats of glaciers. These cool glacial and warm

interglacial climate intervals were caused mostly by changes in Earth’s orbit and tilt. Earth is presently in a

warm interglacial interval.

36 Earth’s warm interglacial intervals are due primarily to

(1) changes in Earth’s period of rotation (3) increases in elevation of North America

(2) changes in Earth’s orbit and tilt (4) divergence at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

37 Approximately 359 million years ago, the average intensity of insolation received in a year by the land area

that is now eastern North America was likely

(1) greater, because eastern North America was at a lower latitude

(2) greater, because eastern North America was at a higher latitude

(3) less, because eastern North America was at a lower latitude

(4) less, because eastern North America was at a higher latitude

38 Evidence that glaciers covered large areas of New York State is best provided by

(1) long-term temperature measurements (3) kettle lakes and drumlins

(2) folded layers of bedrock (4) the presence of streams and rivers

Which agents of erosion are currently changing the appearance of this butte?

(1) glaciers and mass movement

(2) wave action and running water

(3) wind and mass movement

(4) running water and glaciers

Base your answers to questions 59 through 62 on the map below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The map shows a retreating valley glacier and the features that have formed because of the advance and

retreat of the glacier.

59 Describe one piece of evidence likely to be found on the exposed bedrock surfaces that could indicate the

direction this glacier moved. [1]

60 Describe one difference between the arrangement of sediment in the moraines and the arrangement of

sediment in the outwash plain. [1]

61 Describe the most likely shape of the valley being formed due to erosion by this glacier. [1]

62 Explain why the glacial ice absorbs less solar radiation than the surrounding exposed bedrock and soil. [1]

June 2013

23 Landscapes characterized by gentle slopes and meandering streams are most often found in regions with

(1) steep mountain cliffs (3) recently active faults and folds

(2) sediment-covered bedrock (4) high volcanic activity

24 The photograph below shows a valley.

25 Pieces of bedrock material that are broken from a cliff and deposited by a landslide at the base of

the cliff are best described as

(1) rounded and sorted (3) angular and sorted

(2) rounded and unsorted (4) angular and unsorted

26 Sandstone, limestone, and conglomerate cobbles are found in a streambed in New York State where the

surrounding bedrock is composed of shales and siltstones. The most likely explanation for the presence of

these cobbles is that they were

(1) weathered from the surrounding bedrock (3) transported to this area from another region

(2) formed when shale and siltstone bedrock were eroded (4) metamorphosed from shale and siltstone

27 The narrow, sandy, barrier islands in the ocean along the south coast of Long Island were deposited by

(1) wind (2) streams (3) glacial ice (4) wave action

Which agent of erosion most likely

produced this valley’s shape?

(1) blowing wind

(2) ocean waves

(3) moving ice

(4) running water

Base your answers to questions 62 through 65 on the map below and on your knowledge of Earth science.

The map shows the location of Sandy Creek, west of Rochester, New York. X and Y represent points on the

banks of the stream.

62 On the diagram below, draw a line to represent the shape of the stream bottom from point X to point Y. [1]

63 Explain why sediments are deposited when Sandy Creek enters Lake Ontario. [1]

64 The symbols representing four sediment particles are shown in the key below. These particles are being transported by Sandy Creek into Lake Ontario. On the cross section, draw the symbols on the bottom of Lake

Ontario to show the relative position where each sediment particle is most likely deposited. [1]

65 Record the minimum velocity this stream needs to transport a 2.0-cm-diameter particle. [1]

January 2013

27 A landslide is an example of

(1) river deposition (2) glacial scouring (3) mass movement(4) chemical weathering

28 Each of the rock particles below has the same density and volume. Which particle will most likely settle at

the fastest rate in moving water?

29 Which rock weathers most rapidly when exposed to acid rain?

(1) quartzite (2) granite (3) basalt(4) limestone

30 What is the approximate minimum stream velocity needed to keep a particle in motion that has a diameter

of 10 centimeters? (1) 110 cm/ s (2) 190 cm/s (3) 325 cm/s (4) 425 cm/s

31 Which change is most likely to occur in a landscape if its climate changes from humid to arid? (1) Wind will become a more important agent of erosion. (3) Chemical weathering will increase.

(2) Surface features will become more rounded. (4) Vegetation will increase.

33 The Catskills landscape region is classified as a plateau because it has

(1) low elevations and mostly faulted or folded bedrock

(2) low elevations and mostly horizontal bedrock

(3) high elevations and mostly faulted or folded bedrock

(4) high elevations and mostly horizontal bedrock

65 The diagram below shows a partial cross section of a valley near location A on map III. On this diagram,

draw a line beginning at X and ending at Y to show the shape of this valley after it was

eroded by glacial ice that flowed down the valley. [1]

August 2012

17 The block diagram below shows part of a meandering stream. Line XY shows the location of a stream cross

section.

Which cross section best represents the shape of the stream channel at line XY?

19 The cross section below shows layers of sediments deposited in a region of Wisconsin that has experienced several periods of glaciation. Descriptions of the sediments in layers A through F

are included.

20 A river’s current carries sediments into the ocean. Which sediment size will most likely be deposited

in deeper water farthest from the shore?

(1) pebble (2) sand (3) silt (4) clay

21 Which mineral would most likely become rounded at the fastest rate when tumbled along a stream bottom?

(1) garnet (2) pyroxene (3) plagioclase feldspar (4) selenite gypsum

30 The diagram below represents the setup for an experiment for studying groundwater. Tubes A, B, C,

and D contain equal volumes of sediments. Within each tube, the sediments are uniform in size, shape, and

packing. A test for water retention was conducted by first filling each tube with water and then draining the

water into beakers.

Which graph represents the general relationship between the sediment size and the amount of water

Which two layers of sediments were

probably deposited directly by glaciers?

(1) A and D

(2) B and F

(3) C and E

(4) D and E

retained by the sediments after the tubes had drained?

35 The sequence of block diagrams below shows stages of development of a landscape. The stages are labeled

A, B, and C.

Which sequence of geologic processes best describes the events that created each stage shown?

(1) erosion → subsidence and deposition → uplift and faulting

(2) uplift and deposition → flooding → folding and erosion

(3) metamorphism → erosion and deposition → volcanic eruptions

(4) uplift and erosion → subsidence and erosion → folding

Base your answers to questions 42 through 44 on the cross sections below, which represent a particular

location of the channel of the San Juan River in Utah. Changes in river discharge (Q), in cubic meters per

second, and sediment deposits before, during, and after a flood are shown.

42 During the time from September 9 to October 14, the thickness of the sediment deposits at the bottom

Of the San Juan River’s channel

(1) decreased, only (3) decreased and then increased

(2) increased, only (4) increased and then decreased

43 On October 14, during the flood, the discharge of the San Juan River changed dramatically. The change in the river’s discharge at this location was related to an increase in the river’s

(1) velocity (2) gradient (3) channel length (4) sediment deposits

44 If the greatest velocity of the San Juan River on December 9 was 10 centimeters per second, what was the

approximate diameter of the largest particles that the river could have carried?

(1) 1.0 cm (2) 2.0 cm (3) 10.0 cm (4) 0.2 cm

June 2012

15 Which agent of erosion most likely formed the drumlins and finger lakes in New York State?

(1) running water (2) moving ice (3) wave action (4) mass movement

26 The diagram below represents three identical beakers filled to the same level with spherical beads.

If the packing of the beads within each beaker is the same, which graph best represents the porosity within

each beaker?

Base your answers to questions 34 and 35 on the diagram and data table below. The diagram shows the

equipment used to determine the factors affecting the rate of erosion in a stream. The data table shows the

time it took a 10-gram sample of quartz sand to move 100 centimeters down the rain gutter under various

conditions.

34 In this experiment, the water velocity could be increased by

(1) decreasing the slope of the rain gutter (3) lowering the flexible hose

(2) increasing the amount of water from the faucet (4) widening the rain gutter

35 What is the relationship between the water velocity and the rate of erosion?

(1) If the water velocity decreases, the rate of erosion increases.

(2) If the water velocity increases, the rate of erosion increases.

(3) If the water velocity remains constant, the rate of erosion decreases.

(4) If the water velocity remains constant, the rate of erosion increases.

Base your answers to questions 42 through 45 on the laboratory experiment described below.

The weathering of four different rock samples with different masses was studied. Each rock sample was

placed in a separate beaker containing 500 milliliters of a dilute acid for 10 minutes. Bubbling was observed

in some of the beakers. The data table below shows the mass of each sample, in grams, before placement in

the acid and after removal from the acid.

42 Which Earth process is being modeled in this experiment?

(1) physical weathering in the hydrosphere (3) chemical weathering in the hydrosphere

(2) physical weathering in the mesosphere (4) chemical weathering in the mesosphere

43 Which table correctly shows the classification of the rock samples based on the amount of weathering

during this experiment?

44 Approximately what percentage of the marble sample remained after the experiment?

(1) 0.4% (2) 8.0% (3) 20.7% (4) 99.6%

45 Which property of the gneiss sample prevented it from weathering?

(1) crystalline texture (2) mineral composition (3) density (4) cleavage

Base your answers to questions 59 through 61 on the map below, which represents two

bridges that cross the Green River. Letters A, B, and C represent locations in the river. A ball was dropped

from bridge 1 at location A and the distance and travel time to location B were recorded. The results are

shown in the data table below.

59 On the map below, place an X at the location between the bridges where the greatest amount of deposition

is most likely occurring. [1]

60 Determine the rate at which the ball traveled, in centimeters per second, from location A to location B. [1]

61 After a thunderstorm, the velocity of the river at location C was 100 centimeters per second. What was the

largest type of sediment transported by the river at this location? [1]