Solved Weathering and Sedimentary Rocks Worksheet If you put ... - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step to fill in the table and answer the beach question.

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Step 1: Understand the two types of weathering

- Chemical Weathering: Changes the actual minerals in the rock — like dissolving them or turning them into new substances. You can’t see the original pieces anymore; they’re changed at a molecular level.

- Mechanical (Physical) Weathering: Breaks rocks into smaller pieces without changing what they’re made of. Think smashing a cookie — it’s still cookie, just in crumbs.

- Both Processes: Things that happen during either type — like moving material away after it’s broken down.

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Step 2: Fill in each row

#### Row 1: “Water dissolves mineral grains and ions end up in solution in rivers and lakes”

→ This is chemical weathering. Dissolving = chemistry change. Ions are invisible dissolved particles.

✔ Chemical Weathering: YES
✔ Mechanical Weathering: NO
✔ Both: NO

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#### Row 2: “Rocks break into pieces in water due to physical action”

→ Physical action = mechanical. Like waves banging rocks together. No chemistry change — just breaking.

✔ Chemical Weathering: NO
✔ Mechanical Weathering: YES
✔ Both: NO

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#### Row 3: “May change the chemistry of a mineral”

→ Only chemical weathering does this. Mechanical doesn’t alter the mineral’s identity.

✔ Chemical Weathering: YES
✔ Mechanical Weathering: NO
✔ Both: NO

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#### Row 4: “Resulting sediments are visible in water”

→ Sediments = solid pieces you can see. That happens when rocks break physically → mechanical weathering.

✔ Chemical Weathering: NO
✔ Mechanical Weathering: YES
✔ Both: NO

*(Note: Sometimes both can lead to visible sediment, but the key here is “visible” — which implies solid chunks, not dissolved stuff. So we’ll stick with mechanical only for clarity.)*

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#### Row 5: “Resulting ions are not visible in water”

→ Ions = dissolved chemicals. That’s from chemical weathering.

✔ Chemical Weathering: YES
✔ Mechanical Weathering: NO
✔ Both: NO

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#### Row 6: “Weathered material is removed and carried off to another location”

→ This is called erosion. It can happen after EITHER kind of weathering. So it applies to both.

✔ Chemical Weathering: YES
✔ Mechanical Weathering: YES
✔ Both: YES

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Final Table:

| Statement | Chemical Weathering | Mechanical Weathering | Both Processes |
|-----------|---------------------|------------------------|----------------|
| Water dissolves mineral grains and ions end up in solution in rivers and lakes | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Rocks break into pieces in water due to physical action | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| May change the chemistry of a mineral | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Resulting sediments are visible in water | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Resulting ions are not visible in water | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Weathered material is removed and carried off to another location | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |

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Now, the beach question:

> You see a pile of loose sediment on a beach. Is this a sediment or sedimentary Rock? Why?

First, let’s think:

- Sediment = loose bits of rock, sand, shells, etc. Not stuck together.
- Sedimentary Rock = sediment that has been pressed and glued together over time (like sandstone).

On a beach, the sand or pebbles are loose. They move with waves and wind. They haven’t been turned into rock yet.

So…

✔ It’s sediment, because it’s loose and not cemented together.

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Final Answer:

The pile on the beach is sediment, because it is loose and has not been compacted or cemented into solid rock yet.