Chapter 27 Flashcards
The process that involves the physical or chemical breakdown of material on Earth’s surface
Weathering
A mixture of weathered rock, organic matter, water, and air that is capable of supporting plant life.
Soil
The removal of surface material through the process of weathering.
Erosion
As rocks weather, erosional agents like water, ice, wind, and gravity move eroded materials from one place to another.
Sediment Transport
When the erosional agent slows down (in the case of water, wind, or gravity) or melts (in the case of glaciers), it drops this sediment load.
Deposition
The land area that gathers water for a major river
Drainage Basin
The movement of water parallel to the shore line
Long-shore Current
What is weathering
The process that involves the physical or chemical breakdown of materials on earth’s surface
Do rocks weather at the same rate
No Cause they weather at different rates
what are the two main factors that determine how fast a rock will weather
Rock Type
Landscape
What are the two types of weathering
Mechanical
Chemical
what type of change happens with Mechanical weathering
Physical changes
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
When water collects in the cracks of a rock and freezes
what is the cycle called during frost wedging
Freeze-Thaw Cycles
what causes biological activity
Plants and Animals
what causes weathering during collisions
When rocks fall from a cliff or tumble through turbulent rivers
what is soil
A mixture of weathered rock, organic mater, water, and air that is capable of supporting life
what is parent material
The material from which soil forms
what are soil horizons
Different layers of soil
how many soil horizons are there
6
True or False. 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
which horizon collects materials from previous horizons
B
which layer is partially weathered bedrock
C
which layer is unweathered bedrock
R
which soil horizons make up the topsoil
O,A
which horizons make up the subsoil
E,B
what are the 2 types of chemical weathering caused by
Oxygen
Water
what is the chemical process called that is caused by oxygen
Oxidation
what is the chemical process called that is caused by water
Hydrolysis
which soil horizons make up the true soil
O,A,E,B
What percentage of water on earth is salt water
97%
What percentage of water on Earth is fresh water
3%
Where is the majority of fresh water found
2% found in glaciers
Where is the smaller percentage of fresh water found
1% of fresh water is found in lakes and rivers and even ground water
What is precipitation
Rain
Snow
Sleet
Hail
what is runoff
Water runs of the land surface
what is infiltration
The process by which water enters Earth and becomes groundwater below the surface
what is transportation
When plants release water vapor into atmosphere through their leaves
what is evaporation
When water enters the atmosphere as water vapor
what is condensation
Water vapor molecules collide with other ones they eventually get heavy and fall as precipitation
what is the water cycle
Where water on land enters the atmosphere and eventually returns back to land
What is an unsaturated zone for groundwater storage
a porous area where water easily passes though
What is a saturated zone for ground water storage
Beneath the unsaturated zone where water completely 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 more permeable the material 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 run through
South Dakota Wyoming Nebraska Colorado Kansas Oklahoma New Mexico Texas
what is an aquitard
lay of sediment that doesn’t let water come through
How are water springs formed
Where water tables naturally meets Earth’s surface
What is an artesian well
wells drilled into pressured aquifers and the pressure would cause the well to over flow
what is a cone of depression
Where the direction of the water flows down to enter the well
