chapter 27 Flashcards
weathering
the process that involves the physical or chemical breakdown of materials on Earth’s surface
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
erosional agents like water, ice, wind, and gravity move eroded materials from one place to another
deposition
when the erosion agent slows down or melts it drops this sediment load
drainage basic
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 time?
Rock formations weather at different rates. It depends on the rock type and landscape.
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?
The two types of weathering are mechanical and chemical weathering
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?
Water seeps in the cracks of rocks and freezes, making the rock crack open.
What is the cycle called during frost wedging?
Freeze-Thaw Cycles
What causes biological activity? (plant and animal activity)
a plant can root itself and then grow, animals dig holes and cause cracks within
What causes weathering during collisions?
rocks calling from a cliff or tumble through turbulent rivers
What are the two types of mechanical weathering?
Oxygen
water
Why does chemicals change due to oxygen
Oxidation
what are chemical changes due to water
hydrolysis
What is parent material?
the material from which soil forms
What are soil horizons?
the different layers of soil
How many soil horizons are there?
up to 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?
horizon E
Which horizon collects materials from previous horizons?
horizon B
Which layer is partially weathered bedrock?
horizon C
Which layer is unweathered bedrock?
horizon R
Which soil horizons make up the topsoil?
O and A
Which soil horizons make up the subsoil?
E and B
Which soil horizons make up the true soil?
O, A, E, B
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering is the breakdown of materials and erosion is the removal of surface materials
What happens to the speed of a river if the slope of the river decreases?
The speed of the river decreases.
What are small streams that flow into larger rivers?
Tributaries
What is the land area called that gathers water for a major river?
A drainage basin
What is the distinct boundary that separates a drainage basin?
Drainage divide
When water flows downhill under the influence of gravity and erodes earth’s surface, what does it create?
Channels
Young rivers create what shape due to fast movement?
V-shaped
What type of rivers are wide with smooth and gentle slopes?
Mature rivers
When rivers flood and drop their sediment load, what is formed?
Flood plains
What are the fan shaped sediment deposits that form at the mouth of a river?
Distributaries
What forms when a river or stream enters into dry land?
Alluvial fans
What are the two types of glaciers?
Valley glaciers
continental glaciers
Where do valley glaciers form?
Form in high, mountainous regions
Where do continental glaciers form?
Large land areas in colder climates
Where are the two continental glaciers?
Greenland and Antarctica
What is a cirque
bowl shaped basins
What is an arete?
form where 2 adjacent valley glaciers meet and erode and long, sharp ridgeline
what is a horn
sharpened peaks
what shape of valleys do valley glaciers create?
U shaped valleys
What are tributary glaciers
Small glaciers that feed into the large glaciers
On which side of a dune does erosion occur?
The windward side
which side of the dune does deposition occur?
leeward side
What is deflation?
the removal of small particles by wind, leaving heavier particles behind
what is desert pavement?
When small particles are removed, it is the remaining surface
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 two examples of wave deposition?
sand bars
sand spits
what is a sand bar?
landforms that are parallel to the shoreline
what are 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 rains, earthquakes, human activity
infiltration
The process by which water enters Earth and becomes groundwater below the surface
water table
the upper boundary of the saturated zone
aquifer
a rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space
porosity
the percentage of the material’s total volume that is pore space
absolute dating
the process of assigning an exact numerical age to an organism
relative dating
the process of placing objects or events in their proper order in time.
uniformitarianism
the laws of nature operate today as they have in the past.
principle of superposition
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 erosion occurred or deposition was absent
fossil
the remains or traces of organisms found in the geological rock record
What percentage of water on Earth is salt water?
97 percent is salt water, which is found in the oceans.
What percentage of water on Earth is freshwater?
3 percent
Where is the majority of freshwater found?
In glaciers
Where is the smaller percentage of freshwater found?
Lakes. rivers, and stored in groundwater
What is precipitation?
When water vapor in the air cools and condenses
snow, sleet, hail. and rain
What is runoff?
Water running off the land surface
What is infiltration?
The 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
What is the water cycle?
precipitation, runoff, infiltration, 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 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 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
What are the names of the states that the Great Plains Aquifer runs through
South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas
What is an aquitard?
where water is confined
How are water springs formed?
Springs form when the water table naturally meets Earth’s surface
What is an artesian well?
wells drilled into pressurized aquifers
What is a cone of depression?
