CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - Geography
Weathering and Erosion
Biological weathering can be caused by:
A. Plant roots and organisms
B. Only sunlight
C. Only plate motion
D. Only tides
Correct Answer: A
Roots, burrowing and organic acids can physically and chemically weather rock.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - Geography
Weathering and Erosion
Unloading weathering commonly affects:
A. Massive intrusive rocks exposed by erosion
B. Deep ocean mud only
C. Fresh lava underwater only
D. River water
Correct Answer: A
Removal of overburden permits expansion and jointing.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - Geography
Weathering and Erosion
Exfoliation refers to:
A. Peeling or sheet-like removal of outer rock layers
B. River deposition
C. Mineral precipitation in caves
D. Glacial plucking only
Correct Answer: A
Sheeting may result from unloading and/or thermal stresses.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - Geography
Weathering and Erosion
Thermal expansion weathering is driven by:
A. Temperature changes
B. River discharge
C. Plate subduction only
D. Ocean salinity only
Correct Answer: A
Repeated heating and cooling can generate stress, especially in exposed rock.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - Geography
Weathering and Erosion
Salt weathering can occur when:
A. Salt crystals grow in pores and cracks
B. Ice melts in glaciers only
C. Rivers deposit clay
D. Magma cools
Correct Answer: A
Crystallization pressure can disintegrate porous rock.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - Geography
Weathering and Erosion
Freeze-thaw weathering is most effective where:
A. Water repeatedly freezes and thaws in cracks
B. Temperature never crosses freezing
C. No water exists
D. Only tropical heat occurs
Correct Answer: A
Expansion during freezing can widen fractures over repeated cycles.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - Geography
Weathering and Erosion
Chemical weathering involves:
A. Mineral alteration or dissolution
B. Only cracking by ice
C. Only root pressure
D. Only abrasion
Correct Answer: A
Chemical reactions transform or remove minerals.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - Geography
Weathering and Erosion
Mechanical weathering changes rock mainly by:
A. Physical fragmentation without major chemical change
B. Complete melting
C. Chemical dissolution only
D. Metamorphism
Correct Answer: A
Physical processes break rock into smaller pieces while largely preserving composition.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - Geography
Weathering and Erosion
Erosion differs from weathering because erosion involves:
A. Removal and transport of material
B. Only chemical alteration in place
C. Only mineral crystallization
D. No movement
Correct Answer: A
Erosion detaches and transports weathered material.
CSS - PMS - CCE - PCS - Geography
Weathering and Erosion
Weathering is the:
A. Breakdown or alteration of rock in place
B. Transport of sediment only
C. Deposition only
D. Melting of mantle
Correct Answer: A
Weathering acts in situ without necessarily moving the material.