ch 27 Flashcards
27.1
weathering
the process that involves the physical or chemical breakdown of materials on Earths surface
soil
a mixture of weathered rock, organic matter, water, and air that is capable of supporting plant life
what is weathering
breakdown material on earths surface
do rocks weather at the same rate
no they do not
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 weathering and chemical weathering
what type of change happens with mechanical weathering
physical
what type of change happens with chemical weathering
chemical changes
what are the 3 specific types of mechanical weathering
frost wedging biological activity collisions
what causes frost wedging
water getting between cracks of rock and freezing
what is the cycle called during frost wedging
freeze-thaw cycles
what causes biological activity
plant and animal activity, burrowing or growing
what causes weathering during collisions
when rocks fall from a cliff or tumble through turbulent
what is soil
mixture of rock, organic matter, water, and air that is capable of supporting life
what is parent material
what are soil horizons
different layers of soil
how many soil horizons are there
6
t or f. all soils contain every soil horizon
false
what are the specific soil horizons
o, a, e, b, c, r
what does the first soil horizon contain
organic material
what is the second horizon mostly made up of
mostly minerals
which layer does leaching occur
e horizon
which horizon collects materials from previous horizons
b
which layer is partially weathered bedroick
c
which la
r
which soil horizons make up the top soil
o, a
which soil horizons make up the subsoil
e, b
which horizons make up the true soil
o, a e b
27.2
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 erosional agent slows down or melts, it drops this sediment load
drainage basin
land area that gathers water for a major river
longshore current
movement of water parallel to the shoreline
what is the difference between weathering and erosion?
weathering- breakdown of material
erosion- removal of material
as the slope of a river decreases, the river’s speed
decreases
what are small streams that flow into larger rivers
tributaries
the land area that gathers water for a major river is called
drainage basin
a boundary that separates distinct drainage basins
drainage divide
eroded surfaces that are created
channels
what shape do young rivers create in earths surface
v-shaped
rivers that are wide with smooth and gentle slopes
mature
when rivers flood and drop their sediment load which type of landform is created
flood plains
what are fan-shaped sediment deposit that will form at the mouth of a rover
deltas
what are the branching channels that are created by deltas
distributaries
what is it called where the mouth of a river or strwam infers dry lands
alluvial fans
what are the two types of glaciers
valley and continental
where can both be found
valley- high mountains
continental- cold climates
where are the two continental glaciers located
Greenland and Antarctica
what is a cirque
bowl shaped basins
what is an arete
a form where 2 adjacent valley glaciers meet and erode a long, sharp ridgeline
what is a horn
sharpened peaks
what do tributary glaciers create
hanging valleys
what are tributary glaciers
small glaciers that feed into the large glaciers
what shape do valley glaciers do valley glaciers make
u-shaped valleys
what side of a dune does Erosion occur?
windward
which side does deposition occur
leeward
what is deflation
the removal of small particles by wind, leaving heavier particles behind
what is the remaining surface when small particles are removed
desert pavement
what does the shape and sizes of landforms depend on
wind speed
amount of time the wind blows
sediment supply
what three landforms created by wave erosion
coastal cliffs
sea arches
sea stacks
what are two examples of wave deposition
sand bars and sand spits
what are sand bars
landforms that are parallel to the shoreline
what are sand spits
extend into the water from land and curve back toward land in a hook shape
what is mass wasting caused by
snow, heavy rains, earthquakes, or human activity
what are some examples of mass wasting
rock slides
mud flows
landslides
27.3
infiltration
the process by which water enters Earth and becomes groundwater below the surface
water table
upper boundary of the saturated zone
aquifer
rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space
porosity
the percentage of the materials total volume that is pore space
27.4
absolute dating
process of assigning an exact numerical age to an organism, an object, or an event
relative dating
process of placing objects or events in their proper order in time
uniformitarianism
states that 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
unconformities
gaps in the rock record during which either erosion occurred or deposition was absent
fossils
remains or traces of organisms found in the geologic rock record
27.3
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
the majority of freshwater is found in glaciers
where is the smaller percentage of freshwater found
the smaller percent of freshwater is found in lakes, rivers, and stored as ground water
what is precipitation
forms are rain, snow, sleet, and hail
what is run off
water running off the land surface
what is infiltration
when water enters earth and becomes ground water
what is transpiration
plants release water vapor into the atmosphere
what is evaporation
water enters the atmosphere as water vapor
what is condensation
water vapor collides with other water vapor to molecules to form water droplets
what is the water cycle
where fresh water moves from land to atmosphere then back to land
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 completely fillsthe pore space
what is a water table
the upper boundary of the saturated zone
what does it mean if sediment is permeable
the material is the easier water can infiltrate through the ground
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 states
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
keeps water confined
How are water springs formed
where the water table naturally meets Earths surface
what is an artesian well
drill into pressurized aquifers
what is a cone of depression
where the water flows is directed down toward the well
