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Physical Geography Processes Worksheet

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Physical Geography Processes Worksheet

You are helping a community group understand how landscapes change. Read the field notes and catchment clues, and use evidence to explain the processes shaping Aotearoa New Zealand. Answer in your own words where asked.

A changing landscape

Field notes from a fictional river catchment in the lower North Island: After heavy rain, the river runs faster and carries more mud, sand and small stones. On the outside of a bend, the current is strong and the bank is wearing away. On the inside of the bend, the water is slower and sand is building up. On nearby hills, water enters cracks in the rock. Repeated heating, cooling and plant growth gradually break the rock into smaller pieces.

1.The field notes describe water entering cracks and plant growth gradually breaking rock into smaller pieces. What is this process called, and how is it different from erosion?

2.According to the field notes, the outside of the river bend has a strong current and an eroding bank. Which process is happening there?

Deposition
Erosion
Weathering only
Condensation

3.The inside of the river bend has slower water and a growing sand bank. Name the process forming the sand bank and explain why the sediment settles there.

4.A piece of rock is broken down on a hillside, carried by a stream, and eventually dropped on a river bank. Write the four process words in the order they happen, beginning with the rock breaking down.

Forces shaping Aotearoa

New Zealand lies near the boundary of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. Plate movement helps build mountains and can cause earthquakes and volcanic activity. At the surface, rivers, waves, wind, ice and gravity continue to reshape the land.

5.Which process is most directly responsible for the uplift of the Southern Alps and many of New Zealand’s earthquakes?

Deposition of river gravel
Movement of tectonic plates
Weathering by plant roots
Erosion by coastal waves

6.Match each physical geography process to its best description.

Weathering
Erosion
Deposition

Material is worn away and moved
Rock is broken down in place
Transported material is dropped

7.True or false: A river usually has more power to erode its bed and banks when its water is moving quickly.

TrueFalse

Place

Observation after heavy rain

Steep hill slope

Loose soil washes into a stream.

River bend

The outside bank collapses; sand gathers on the inside.

Low-lying river mouth

Fine sediment settles where the river slows as it meets the sea.

8.Use the catchment clues to describe how loose soil from a steep hillside could eventually become sediment deposited near the river mouth. Include at least two process terms.

9.A farm beside the river has bare soil on a steep slope. Suggest one practical change that could reduce soil erosion, and explain how it would help.

10.A town is considering building new homes close to a river bend. Explain one way river processes could affect the homes over time, and recommend one planning or preparation measure.