Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

physical science > Chapter 27 > Flashcards

Chapter 27 Flashcards

1
Q

The process that involves the physical and chemical breakdown of materials on Earth’s surface.

A

Weathering

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

A mixture of weathered rock, organic matter, water, and air that is capable of supporting plant life.

A

Soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

The removal of surface material through the process of weathering.

A

Erosion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

As rocks weather erosional agents like water, ice, wind, and gravity move eroded materials from one place to another in this process.

A

Sediment transport

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

When the erosional agent allows down (in the case of water, wind, or gravity) or melts (in the case of glaciers), it drops this sediment load in this process.

A

Deposition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

The land area that gathers water for a major river is called a river’s ________________.

A

Drainage basins

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

The movement of water parallel to the shoreline is called a what?

A

Longshore current

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Do rocks weather at the same rate?

A

No, it depends on rock type and landscape

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are the two main factors that determine how fast a rock will weather?

A

Rock type and landscape

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are the two types of weathering?

A

Mechanical and chemical weathering

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What types of change happens with MECHANICAL weathering?

A

Physical changes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What type of change happens with CHEMICAL weathering?

A

Chemical changes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are the 3 specific types of mechanical weathering?

A

Frost wedging, biological activity, and collisions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What causes frost wedging?

A

When water collect in the cracks rocks and then freezes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is the cycle called during frost wedging?

A

Freeze-thaw cycles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What causes biological weathering?

A

Plant and animal activity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What causes weathering during collisions?

A

When rocks fall from a cliff or tumble through turbulent rivers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What are the 2 types of chemical weathering caused by?

A

Oxygen and water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is chemical process called that is caused by oxygen?

A

Oxidation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is the chemical process called that is caused by water?

A

Hydrolosis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is parent material?

A

The material from which soil forms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are soil horizons?

A

The different layers of soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

How many soil horizons are there?

A

There are 6

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

True or false: All soils contain soil horizon.

A

False

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What are the specific soil horizons?
O, A, E, B, C, and R
26
What does the first soil horizon contain?
Organic material
27
What is the second horizon mostly made up of?
Minerals
28
Which layer does leaching occur?
Horizon E
29
Which horizon collects materials from previous horizons?
Horizon B
30
Which layer is partially weathered bedrock?
Horizon C
31
Which soil horizons make up the TOPSOIL?
Horizons O and A
32
Which soil horizons make up the SUBSOIL?
Horizons E and B
33
Which soil horizons make up the TRUE SOIL?
O, A, E, and B
34
Which layer is unweathered bedrock?
Horizon R
35
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering is the BREAKDOWN of materials on Earth's surface, while erosion is the REMOVAL of surface material.
36
If the slope of river decreases, what will happen to the river's speed?
It will decrease.
37
Small streams that flow into larger rivers are called what?
Tributaries
38
Land area that gathers water for a major river is called a what?
Drainage basin
39
A boundary that separates distinct drainage basins is called a what?
Drainage divide
40
As water flows downhill under the influence of gravity, water erodes earth's surface creating what?
Channels
41
Young rivers are _________ due to the fast movement.
V-shaped
42
Mature rivers are _____ with ________ and _______ slopes
wide, smooth, gentle
43
What landform is created when rivers flood and drop their sediment load?
Flood plains
44
What is a fan-shaped sediment deposit that forms at the mouth of a river called?
Deltas
45
What are distributaries?
Branching channels created by deltas
46
What is formed where a mouth of a river or stream enters a dry land?
Alluvial fans
47
What are the two types of glaciers?
Valley glaciers and continental glaciers
48
Where do valley glaciers form?
High mountainous regions
49
Where do continental glaciers form?
Colder climates and occupy large land areas
50
Where are the two continental glaciers located?
Greenland and Antarctica
51
What is cirque?
Bowl shaped basin
52
What is an arete?
Long sharp ridgeline between valley glaciers
53
What is a horn in a mountainous region?
Sharpened peaks
54
What shape of valley do valley glaciers form?
U-shaped valleys
55
What are tributary glaciers?
Small glaciers that feed into the large glaciers
56
What type of valleys do tributary glaciers form?
They create hanging valleys
57
On which side of a sand dune does erosion occur on?
The windward side
58
On which side of a sand dune does deposition occur?
The leeward side
59
What is deflation?
The removal of small particles by wind
60
What is desert pavement?
All the small particles are removed, which leaves a hard surface remaining
61
The shape and size of landforms being eroded by wind depends on what?
Wind speed, amount of time the wind blows, and sediment supply
62
What are 3 landforms created by wave erosion?
Coastal cliffs, sea stacks, and sea arches
63
What are two examples of wave deposition
Sand bars and sand spits
64
What are some things that can cause mass wasting?
Snow, heavy rain, earthquakes, or human activity
65
The process by which water enters Earth and becomes groundwater below the surface.
Infiltration
66
The upper boundary of the saturated zone.
Water table
67
A rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space.
Aquifer
68
The percentage of the material's total volume that is pore space.
Porosity
69
The process of assigning an exact numerical age to an organism, an object, or an event.
Absolute dating
70
The process of placing objects or events in their proper order in time.
Relative dating
71
States that the laws of nature operate today as they have in the past.
Uniformitarianism
72
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.
Principle of superposition
73
The gaps in the rock record during which either erosion occurred or deposition was absent.
Unconformities
74
The remains or traces of organisms found in the geologic rock record.
Fossil
75
What percentage if water on Earth is salt water?
97%
76
What percentage of water on Earth is freshwater?
3%
77
Where is the majority of freshwater found?
2% is found in glaciers
78
Where is the smaller percentage of freshwater found?
1% is found in lakes, rivers, and stored as ground water
79
What is precipitation?
Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are some examples
80
What is runoff?
When water runs off the land surface
81
What is infiltration?
When water enters Earth and becomes groundwater
82
What is transpiration?
When plants release water vapor into the atmosphere through their leaves
83
What is evaporation?
When water enters the atmosphere at water vapor
84
What is condensation?
When water vapor collides with other water vapor to form water droplets
85
What is the water cycle?
When water on the land evaporates into the atmosphere and then precipitates, and the process repeats
86
What is an unsaturated zone for groundwater storage?
A porous area where water easily passes through
87
What is a saturated zone for groundwater storage?
Beneath the unsaturated zone, where water completely fills the pore space
88
What is a water table?
The upper boundary of the saturated zone
89
What does it mean if sediment is permeable?
The more permeable the sediment is, the easier water can infiltrate (pass) through the ground
90
What is an aquifer?
A rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space
91
What is the name of the Great Plains Aquifer?
The Ogallala Aquifer
92
How many states does the Great Plains Aquifer run through?
It runs through 8 states
93
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
94
What is an aquitard?
It keeps water confined
95
How are water springs formed?
Where a water table naturally meets Earth's surface
96
What is an artesian wall?
When a well is drilled into pressurized aquifers
97
What is a cone of depression?
The direction where the water flows toward the well

physical science (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions