Chapter 2 Vocabulary Flashcards
The process of breaking down rocks.
weathering
A weak acid formed from water and carbon dioxide.
carbonic acid
A cave formation that hangs from the ceiling of a cave; made from the dripping of dissolved calcite.
stalactites
A cave formation that builds on the floor of a cave; made from the dripping of dissolved calcite.
stalagmites
The loose material at the surface of the earth.
soil
The part of soil that contains decayed plant and animal matter.
humus
A scientist who studies soil.
pedologist
The amount of each kind of particle in a soil sample.
texture
Soil consisting of equal parts of sand and silt combined with about half as much clay.
loam
Small particles produced by the weathering of rocks.
sediment
The moving of bits of weathered material from one place to another.
erosion
The dropping of sediment and rocks in a new location by gravity, wind, water, or ice.
deposition
Erosion that occurs where gravity is the primary factor.
mass movement
The sediment that a stream carries.
load
The area at the mouth of a river where sediment is deposited.
delta
The action of the wind blowing and picking up loose sediment and carrying it away.
deflation
A storm caused by wind blowing small, loose particles high into the air.
dust storms
A storm caused by wind blowing sand particles along the ground.
sandstorms
A huge river of ice that slowly moves downhill; formed where layers of unmelted snow compact into ice.
glaciers
The action of a glacier pulling a huge piece of bedrock loose as the glacier slides down a mountain.
plucking
The pile of sediment deposited by a glacier as it melts and recedes.
moraine
