Constructive and

Destructive Forces
Processes That Act Upon Earths
Surface Features

What are Constructive and

Destructive Forces?
Constructive Force
A constructive force is
a process that raises
or builds up the
surface features of the
Earth.

Destructive Force
A destructive force is a
process that lowers or
tears down the surface
features of the Earth.

What Are Surface Features?

Surface features are landforms and bodies of
water that cover the Earths surface such as:

mountains
valleys
canyons
gorges
beaches
sand dunes
barrier Islands
flood-plains
moraines and drumlins
volcanoes
oceans
lakes
rivers

How Can a Surface Feature be

Changed by a Constructive Force?
Natural forces such as wind, water, ice,
through the process of deposition.
Deposition is the process of dumping sediment,
dirt, rocks, or particles in one place.

The movement of the Earths crust through

Plate Tectonics

Constructive Force
Examples of Deposition

Constructive
Process

Deposition

Surface
Feature
Deltas
Floodplains
Beaches and
Barrier Islands
Sand dunes
Moraines and
drumlins

Force/Agent
water / river
water / river
water / ocean
long-shore
current
wind
Ice / glacier

Other Constructive Forces

Constructive
Surface
Process
Feature
Folding
Mountains
Faulting

Mountains

Earthquake

Trench
Fault
Mountains
Islands

Volcanic
Activity

Force
Plate
tectonics
Plate
tectonics
Plate
tectonics
Plate
tectonics

How Can a Surface Feature be

Changed by a Destructive
Force?
Physical or Chemical Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rock into
sediment.

Natural forces such as wind, water, ice,

through the process of erosion.
Erosion is the movement of sediment from one
place to another.

Changing the Earths Surface by a

Destructive Force
Examples of Weathering
Mechanical / Physical
Weathering
Temperature ChangeFreezing and thawing of
Rock
Ice Wedging-Water
freezing and expanding
in cracks of rock
Impact of organisms
Root Pry
Animals burrowing

Chemical Weathering
Oxidation / rusting
Carbonic Acid / acid
rain
Caverns

Impact of organisms
Secretion of acid from
Lichen

Destructive Force
Examples of Erosion

Destructive
Process

Erosion

Surface
Feature
Canyons,
Gorges, VShaped Valleys
Sea Arches,
Sea Stacks
Buttes, Desert

Force/Agent
Water

Water
Wind

U-Shaped Valleys Ice

Mudslide,
Gravity
Sinkholes

Other Destructive Forces

Volcanic Activity
Movement of Earths Crust (Plate tectonics)
Reshaping of Mountains

Earthquakes
Movement of Earths Crust (Plate tectonics)
Trenches
cracks in the Earth Curst

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Land Formation

Controlling Constructive and

Destructive Forces
How can constructive and destructive
forces be controlled through the use of
technology?
How does technology affect constructive
and destructive forces?
What are examples of technology used to
control constructive and destructive
forces?

Effects on the Control of

Constructive Forces
Dam a structure built across a river to
control its flow
Positive Effect
Flood Control
Hydroelectric Power

Negative Effect
Holds back sediment
Prevents deposition of flood plains, deltas, and beaches

Effects on the Control of

Destructive Forces
Prevention of beach erosion
Groin a structure built perpendicular to the beach.
Positive Effect
Traps sand that moves along the shore and causing the beach to
build up.

Negative Effect
Beach Erosion down stream is worse.

Seawall a structure built parallel to the shore

Positive Effect
Protects land behind if from ocean the ocean waves

Negative Effect
Ocean side beach will erode

Beach Nourishment sand from ocean or nearby rivers are

pumped onto the beach

Effects on the Control of

Destructive Forces
Prevention of soil erosion
Contour Plowing method in which farmers plow across the
sided of hill instead of down
Terracing the planting of corps on terraces (steps) built
into steep hillsides.
Windbreaks rows of plants or fences.
Slow down wind and limit the distance it can carry soil.

Vegetation used to hold soil in place

Storm drain management a system of drains
Prevents flooding and soil erosion

Can Volcanoes and Earthquakes

be Controlled?
Volcanoes and Earthquakes can not be
controlled;
However scientist have ways to determine when
and where these they might occur.
Volcanoes
instruments are used to detect changes in volcanoes

Earthquakes

Detailed maps show major faults

Safety Education
No new buildings on or near faults
Building codes to resists earthquakes
Seismographs measures earthquakes on a rector scale

What Do You Think?

Deposition is a process
that
A.
B.
C.
D.

Dissolves sediment
Breaks down rock to form sediment
Removes sediment from landforms
Drops sediment to form landforms

Where do deltas form?

A.
B.
C.
D.

In desert areas
At river mouths
On the banks of rivers
In valleys formed by glaciers

Long shore currents

help create
A.
B.
C.
D.

Beaches
Dunes
Rivers
Drumlins

Volcanoes can create

new land when they
release
A.
B.
C.
D.

Lava
Water
Faults
Mud

What forms moraines

and drumlins?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Wind
Rivers
Glaciers
Volcanoes

What landform forms

from deposition at the
mouths of rivers?
A.
B.
C.
D.

a delta
a floodplain
a sand dune
a moraine

What is weathering?
A. A type of climate
B. The transport of sediment
C. The breakdown of rock
D. The aging of rock

Which of these is
caused by chemical
weathering?
A.
B.
C.
D.

desert pavement
formation of U-shaped valleys
formation of rust
ice expanding in cracks in rock at is
weathering?

How do earthquakes
change the land?
A.
B.
C.
D.

They transport sediment.

They form cracks in the surface.
They release ash and lava.
They cause chemical weathering.

A river can form

A.
B.
C.
D.

Sea arches.
U-shaped valleys.
V-shaped valleys.
Desert pavement.

Deposition forms these

features on coasts.
A.
B.
C.
D.

drumlins
floodplains
barrier islands
U-shaped valleys

What causes V-shaped

valleys to form?

A.
B.
C.
D.

deposition at river mouths

erosion by rivers
weathering by wind
erosion by glaciers

A dam across a river can

cause
A.
B.
C.
D.

the formation of a delta.

the carving of a valley.
the erosion of a beach.
the formation of a sea stack.

Which of these helps prevent

the harmful effects of
erosion?
A.
B.
C.
D.

dams
volcanoes
Long-shore currents
contour plowing

In which type of climate are

you most likely to find a sand
dune that is not on the coast?
A.
B.
C.
D.

dry
humid
icy
hot

What does erosion do?

A.
B.
C.
D.

breaks down rock physically

moves broken pieces of rock
changes rock chemically
change sediment into rock

Beaches that have eroded are

reclaimed through
A. weathering.
B. building of seawalls.
C. beach nourishment.
D. building of terraces.

Which of these is not a way to

prevent soil erosion?
A. planting vegetation
B. contour plowing
C. building windbreaks
D. building dams

Scientists know where

earthquakes will occur
because they know the
locations of
A. faults
B. volcanoes
C. mountains
D. long-shore currents.

Which of these do scientists

use to predict when a volcano
is likely to erupt?
A.
B.
C.
D.

the age of the volcano

earthquakes beneath the volcano
temperature of nearby rivers
the hardness of rock near the
volcano