chapter 16 weathering and mass movement

Question 1

weathering

Answer 1

the process by which solid rock is dissolved and broken apart into smaller fragments

Question 2

erosion

Answer 2

the scouring and stripping away of rock fragments loosened by weathering

Question 3

sediment transport

Answer 3

the movement of rock fragments that have been weathered and eroded

Question 4

deposition

Answer 4

the depositing of sediments

Question 5

denudation

Answer 5

the lowering and wearing away of earth’s surface

Question 6

physical weathering

Answer 6

the processes that breaks rocks down into smaller pieces without altering the chemical makeup of the rock

Question 7

exfoliation

Answer 7

a type of pressure release jointing, creates sheetlike slabs of rocks resembling the layers of an onion

Question 8

frost wedging

Answer 8

the process by which water in a joint in rock freezes and expands, causing the opening to grow ex. potholes

Question 9

salt weathering

Answer 9

the process in which salt crystals grow in pore spaces within a rock and exert pressure as they grow

Question 10

tafoni

Answer 10

rounded pits or cavities on surface of a rock that form through salt wedging

Question 11

root wedging

Answer 11

the process in which plant roots break rocks apart

Question 12

chemical weathering

Answer 12

the process in which minerals in rock change through chemical reactions involving water

Question 13

carbonation

Answer 13

a chemical weathering process in which carbonate rocks such as limestone is dissolved in a carbonic acid solution and carried away

Question 14

hydrolysis

Answer 14

the process in which water reacts with and combines with minerals in rocks to form new minerals

Question 15

oxidation

Answer 15

the process in which oxygen atoms combine with minerals in rocks and weaken them

Question 16

hydration

Answer 16

the process in which water is added to minerals in rock or soil, causing material to expand and weaken

Question 17

spheroidal weathering

Answer 17

the process where angular blocks experience the most weathering along their edges and corners, causing them to become rounded

Question 18

differential weathering

Answer 18

unequal weathering across a rock surface

Question 19

karst

Answer 19

an area dominated by the weathering of carbonate rocks, usually limestone

Question 20

dissolution

Answer 20

the general process in which a mineral completely dissolves in water

Question 21

sinkhole

Answer 21

a depression in earths surface that results from the dissolution of carbonate rock underground

Question 22

collapse sinkhole

Answer 22

sinkhole formed where ceiling of a cavern has collapsed

Question 23

disappearing stream

Answer 23

streams that disappear into subterranean channels in karst regions

Question 24

speleothem

Answer 24

cave formation that forms by precipitation of calcium carbonate

Question 25

stalactite

Answer 25

speleothem that grows from the ceiling of cave downward

Question 26

stalagmite

Answer 26

speleothem that grows from floor of cave upward

Question 27

limestone column

Answer 27

cylindrical speleothem resulting when a stalactite joins with a stalagmite

Question 28

dripstone vs flowstone

Answer 28

dripstone- speleothem that are formed by precipitation of calcium carbonate by dripping water
flowstone- sheetlike calcium carbonate deposits that form along the edged that water drops flow down before they drip

Question 29

mass movement

Answer 29

movement of rock, soil, snow, or ice downslope by gravity

Question 30

factors that make slopes unstable

Answer 30

• geologic faults
• jointing in rocks
• foliation planes in metamorphic rock
• layers of saturated clay and sand
• layers of ice between snow layers

Question 31

rockfall

Answer 31

occurs when rocks tumble off a vertical or nearly vertical cliff face

Question 32

talus

Answer 32

pieces of angular broken rock that accumulate at the base of a steep slope or vertical cliff

Question 33

talus cone

Answer 33

an accumulation of talus in cone shaped piles at the base of rockfall chutes

Question 34

talus apron

Answer 34

an accumulation of talus that forms where two or more talus cones merge at the foot of a cliff