27 Flashcards
weathering
the process that involves the physical or chemical breakdown
soil
a mixture of weathered rock, organic matter, water, and air that is capable of supporting plant life
erosion
the removal of surface material through the process of weathering
sediment transport
rocks weather, erosional agents like water,ice, wind, and gravity move eroded materials from one place to another
deposition
the erosion agent slows down or melts, it drops this sediment load
drainage basin
the land area that gathers water for a major river
longshore current
the movement of water parallel to the shoreline
Do rocks weather at the same rate?
no
What are the two main factors that determine how fast a rock will weather?
rock type and landscape
what are the two types of weathering?
mechanical and chemical
what type of change happens with the mechanical weathering?
physical changes
what type of change happens with chemical weathering?
chemical changes
what are the 3 specific types of mechanical weathering?
frost weathering, biological activity, collisions
what causes frost wedging?
when water collects in the cracks of a rock and then freezes
what is the cycle called during frost wedging
freeze thaw cycle
what causes biological activity
plant and animal activity
what causes weathering during collision
when rocks fall from a cliff or tumble through turbulent rivers
what is parent materials
where soil forms from
what are soil horizons
the different layers of soil
how many soil horizons are there
6
true or false
all soils contain every soil horizon
what are the specific soil hoorizons
o a e b c r
what does the first soil horizon contain
organic material
what is the second horizon mostly made up of
minerals
which layer does leaching occur
e
which horizon collects materials from previous horizons
horizon b
which layer is partially weathered bedrock?horizon c
horizon c
which layer is unweathered bedrock
r
which soil horizons make up the topsoil
o and a
which soil horizons make up the subsoil
e and b
what are the 2 types of chemical weathering
oxygen and water
what are chemical changes due to oxygen
oxidation
what are chemical changed due to water
hydrolysis
what is the difference between weathering and erosion
weathering is the breakdown of materials and erosion is the removal of materials
as the slope of a river decreases, the rivers speed decreases
true or false
true
what are small streams that flow into larger rivers
tributaries
what is the land area that gathers water for a major river
drainage basin
what is the boundary that separates distinct drainage basins
drainage divide
when water falls down due to gravity water erodes earths surface creating what
channels
young rivers create what shape due to fast movement
v shaped
what type of rivers are wide with smooth and gentle slopes
mature
when rivers flood and drop their sediment load what land form is created
flood plains
what are the fan shaped sediment deposits that form at the mouth of a water
deltas
what are the branching channels called from deltas
distributaries
what forms when a river or stream enters into dry land
alluvial fans
what are the two types of glaciers
valley glaciers and continental glaciers
where do valley glaciers form
in high, mountainous regions
where do continental glaciers form
large land areas in colder climates
where are the two continental glaciers located
Greenland and Antarctica
what are cirques
bowl shaped basins
how do aretes form
form where 2 adjacent valley glaciers meet and erode a long sharp ridgeline
what is a horn
sharpened peaks
what shape of valleys do valley glaciers create
u shaped valleys
what is a tributary glacier
small glaciers that feed into the large glaciers
what type of valleys do tributary glaciers create
hanging valleys
on which side of a dune does erosion occur
windward
which side does deposition occur
leeward side
what is deflation
the removal of small particles by wind, leaving heavier particles behind
what is it called when small particles are removed
desert pavement
what does the shape and sizes of landforms due to wind depend on
wind speed
amount of time the wind blows
sediment supply
what are some landforms created by wave erosion
coastal cliffs
sea arches
sea stacks
what are 2 examples of wave deposition
sand bars
sand spits
what is a sand bar
landforms that are parallel to the shoreline
what is a sand spits
sandbars that extend into the water from land and curve back toward land in a hook shape
what can cause mass wasting
snow
heavy rain
earthquakes
human activity
what are some examples of mass wasting
rock slides
mudflows
landslides
infiltration
the process by which water enters earth and becomes groundwater below the surface
watertable
the upper boundary of the standard zone
aquifer
a rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space
porosity
the percentage of the materials total volume that is pore spae
absolute dating
the process of assigning an exact numerical age to an organism, object, or event
relative dating
the process of placing objects or events in their proper order in time
uniformitarianism
states the laws of nature operate today as they have in the past
principle of superposition
states that in an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rock layers, the youngest rocks will be at the top and the oldest rocks will be at the bottom
unconformity
gaps in the rock record during which either erosion occured or deposition was absent
fossil
the remains or traces of organisms found in the geological rock
What percentage of water on earth is salt water
97%
What percentage of water on earth is freshwater
3%
where is the majority of freshwater found
glaciers
where is the smaller percentage of freshwater found
lakes,rivers, and stored as ground water
what is precipitation
when water vapor in the air cools and condenses
rain
snow
sleet
hail
what is runoff
water running off the land surface
what is infiltration
process by which water enters earth and becomes groundwater below the surface
what is transpiration
when plants release water vapor into the atmosphere through their leaves
what is evaporation
when water enters the atmosphere as water vapor
what is condensation
when water vapor collides with other water vapor molecules to form water droplets
clouds
what is the water cycle
precipitation runoff infilitration transpiration evaporation condensation
what is an unsaturated zone for groundwater storage
a porous area where water easily passes through
what is a saturated zone for groundwater storage
beneath the unsaturated zone where water completly fills the pore space
what is a water table
the upper boundary of the saturated zone
what does it mean if sediment is permeable
the easier water is able to pass
what is an aquifer
a rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space
what is the name of the great plains aquifer
Ogallala Aquifer
how many states does the great plains aquifer run through
8
what are the names of the states that the great plains aquifer runs through
south Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, new Mexico, Texas
what is an aquitard
keep water confined
how are water springs formed
where the water table naturally meets earths surface
what is an artesian well
wells drilled into pressurized aquifers
what is a cone of depression
the direction that the water flows towards the well
What are geologic epochs, periods, and eras?
What are the characteristics of the main geologic eras?
Which geologic laws are used to determine relative age?
What methods are used to determine absolute age?
