Constructive and Destructive Forces

Learn about Earth's shaping forces: constructive & destructive! Practice identifying erosion, deposition & landforms.

Evaluate each scenario and decide which category it best fits. There are 3 separate categories for the sort so be sure to scroll all the way down to see the third category. Constructive Force Wind deposits sand in dunes across the desert. Sediment in a river settles as the river meets the ocean and a delta forms. Destructive Force An earthquake breaks apart the land. Cattle graze on the grass loosening the soil. Acid rain begins to dissolve rock. Glacier pushes hte rock slowly over time carving a valley between mountains. A gopher or chipmunk burrows through the ground loosening and moving the soil. Wind weathers and erodes rock. The water from a waterfall pounds against the rock and weathers it over time. Water freezes in cracks and breaks teh rock apart as ice expands. Both Constructive and Destructive Forces An erupting volcano breaks apart the earth's surface, and the lava hardens as it cools forming new land. A landslide occurs when rock loosens and is pulled down by gravity. Yet, the rock piles up and creates new landforms such as hills. A student argues that a destructive force can change the surface of Earth. Which of the following could be used to support this claim? A new island forms in the middle of an ocean. A plain becomes a deep canyon with steep walls. A sand dune shifts from one location to another. A mountain grows taller over a thousand years. Over many years, the depth of a lake gets more shallow. What could cause this change? The climate in the area gets warmer. Sediments are deposited in the lake. The Sun evaporates the water. A hurricane brings heavy rains. Students were tasked with making a model of how natural forces can change the surface features of Earth. They make a pile of sand in front of an electric fan and turn it on. This model best represents which of the following changes to the surface of Earth? The formation of a delta at the mouth of a river The building of a mountain on the edge of a continent The movement of dunes caused by the blowing wind The creation of a canyon by flowing water Stalagmites are structures that form on the floor of some caves. Most scientists explain this by saying that stalagmites form when minerals dissolved in water are left behind where water drips. Which evidence would support this explanation? Freezing water turns it into a solid. Water found in caves has minerals in it. Some stalagmites are taller than others. Many caves are found deep underground. Students placed two desks next to each other, and then pulled them apart. This demonstration best models which change that happens to the surface of Earth? Large cracks forming on the ground Waves making a beach smaller Sand dunes moving by winds Weathering changing the shape of a mountain