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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

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2
Q

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

A

Soil

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3
Q

The removal of surface material through the process of weathering.

A

Erosion

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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

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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

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6
Q

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

A

Drainage basins

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7
Q

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

A

Longshore current

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8
Q

Do rocks weather at the same rate?

A

No, it depends on rock type and landscape

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9
Q

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

A

Rock type and landscape

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10
Q

What are the two types of weathering?

A

Mechanical and chemical weathering

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11
Q

What types of change happens with MECHANICAL weathering?

A

Physical changes

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12
Q

What type of change happens with CHEMICAL weathering?

A

Chemical changes

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13
Q

What are the 3 specific types of mechanical weathering?

A

Frost wedging, biological activity, and collisions

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14
Q

What causes frost wedging?

A

When water collect in the cracks rocks and then freezes

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15
Q

What is the cycle called during frost wedging?

A

Freeze-thaw cycles

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16
Q

What causes biological weathering?

A

Plant and animal activity

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17
Q

What causes weathering during collisions?

A

When rocks fall from a cliff or tumble through turbulent rivers

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18
Q

What are the 2 types of chemical weathering caused by?

A

Oxygen and water

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19
Q

What is chemical process called that is caused by oxygen?

A

Oxidation

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20
Q

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

A

Hydrolosis

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21
Q

What is parent material?

A

The material from which soil forms

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22
Q

What are soil horizons?

A

The different layers of soil

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23
Q

How many soil horizons are there?

A

There are 6

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24
Q

True or false: All soils contain soil horizon.

A

False

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25
Q

What are the specific soil horizons?

A

O, A, E, B, C, and R

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26
Q

What does the first soil horizon contain?

A

Organic material

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27
Q

What is the second horizon mostly made up of?

A

Minerals

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28
Q

Which layer does leaching occur?

A

Horizon E

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29
Q

Which horizon collects materials from previous horizons?

A

Horizon B

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30
Q

Which layer is partially weathered bedrock?

A

Horizon C

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31
Q

Which soil horizons make up the TOPSOIL?

A

Horizons O and A

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32
Q

Which soil horizons make up the SUBSOIL?

A

Horizons E and B

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33
Q

Which soil horizons make up the TRUE SOIL?

A

O, A, E, and B

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34
Q

Which layer is unweathered bedrock?

A

Horizon R

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35
Q

What is the difference between weathering and erosion?

A

Weathering is the BREAKDOWN of materials on Earth’s surface, while erosion is the REMOVAL of surface material.

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36
Q

If the slope of river decreases, what will happen to the river’s speed?

A

It will decrease.

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37
Q

Small streams that flow into larger rivers are called what?

A

Tributaries

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38
Q

Land area that gathers water for a major river is called a what?

A

Drainage basin

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39
Q

A boundary that separates distinct drainage basins is called a what?

A

Drainage divide

40
Q

As water flows downhill under the influence of gravity, water erodes earth’s surface creating what?

A

Channels

41
Q

Young rivers are _________ due to the fast movement.

A

V-shaped

42
Q

Mature rivers are _____ with ________ and _______ slopes

A

wide, smooth, gentle

43
Q

What landform is created when rivers flood and drop their sediment load?

A

Flood plains

44
Q

What is a fan-shaped sediment deposit that forms at the mouth of a river called?

A

Deltas

45
Q

What are distributaries?

A

Branching channels created by deltas

46
Q

What is formed where a mouth of a river or stream enters a dry land?

A

Alluvial fans

47
Q

What are the two types of glaciers?

A

Valley glaciers and continental glaciers

48
Q

Where do valley glaciers form?

A

High mountainous regions

49
Q

Where do continental glaciers form?

A

Colder climates and occupy large land areas

50
Q

Where are the two continental glaciers located?

A

Greenland and Antarctica

51
Q

What is cirque?

A

Bowl shaped basin

52
Q

What is an arete?

A

Long sharp ridgeline between valley glaciers

53
Q

What is a horn in a mountainous region?

A

Sharpened peaks

54
Q

What shape of valley do valley glaciers form?

A

U-shaped valleys

55
Q

What are tributary glaciers?

A

Small glaciers that feed into the large glaciers

56
Q

What type of valleys do tributary glaciers form?

A

They create hanging valleys

57
Q

On which side of a sand dune does erosion occur on?

A

The windward side

58
Q

On which side of a sand dune does deposition occur?

A

The leeward side

59
Q

What is deflation?

A

The removal of small particles by wind

60
Q

What is desert pavement?

A

All the small particles are removed, which leaves a hard surface remaining

61
Q

The shape and size of landforms being eroded by wind depends on what?

A

Wind speed, amount of time the wind blows, and sediment supply

62
Q

What are 3 landforms created by wave erosion?

A

Coastal cliffs, sea stacks, and sea arches

63
Q

What are two examples of wave deposition

A

Sand bars and sand spits

64
Q

What are some things that can cause mass wasting?

A

Snow, heavy rain, earthquakes, or human activity

65
Q

The process by which water enters Earth and becomes groundwater below the surface.

A

Infiltration

66
Q

The upper boundary of the saturated zone.

A

Water table

67
Q

A rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space.

A

Aquifer

68
Q

The percentage of the material’s total volume that is pore space.

A

Porosity

69
Q

The process of assigning an exact numerical age to an organism, an object, or an event.

A

Absolute dating

70
Q

The process of placing objects or events in their proper order in time.

A

Relative dating

71
Q

States that the laws of nature operate today as they have in the past.

A

Uniformitarianism

72
Q

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.

A

Principle of superposition

73
Q

The gaps in the rock record during which either erosion occurred or deposition was absent.

A

Unconformities

74
Q

The remains or traces of organisms found in the geologic rock record.

A

Fossil

75
Q

What percentage if water on Earth is salt water?

A

97%

76
Q

What percentage of water on Earth is freshwater?

A

3%

77
Q

Where is the majority of freshwater found?

A

2% is found in glaciers

78
Q

Where is the smaller percentage of freshwater found?

A

1% is found in lakes, rivers, and stored as ground water

79
Q

What is precipitation?

A

Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are some examples

80
Q

What is runoff?

A

When water runs off the land surface

81
Q

What is infiltration?

A

When water enters Earth and becomes groundwater

82
Q

What is transpiration?

A

When plants release water vapor into the atmosphere through their leaves

83
Q

What is evaporation?

A

When water enters the atmosphere at water vapor

84
Q

What is condensation?

A

When water vapor collides with other water vapor to form water droplets

85
Q

What is the water cycle?

A

When water on the land evaporates into the atmosphere and then precipitates, and the process repeats

86
Q

What is an unsaturated zone for groundwater storage?

A

A porous area where water easily passes through

87
Q

What is a saturated zone for groundwater storage?

A

Beneath the unsaturated zone, where water completely fills the pore space

88
Q

What is a water table?

A

The upper boundary of the saturated zone

89
Q

What does it mean if sediment is permeable?

A

The more permeable the sediment is, the easier water can infiltrate (pass) through the ground

90
Q

What is an aquifer?

A

A rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space

91
Q

What is the name of the Great Plains Aquifer?

A

The Ogallala Aquifer

92
Q

How many states does the Great Plains Aquifer run through?

A

It runs through 8 states

93
Q

What are the names of the states that the Great Plains Aquifer runs through?

A

South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas

94
Q

What is an aquitard?

A

It keeps water confined

95
Q

How are water springs formed?

A

Where a water table naturally meets Earth’s surface

96
Q

What is an artesian wall?

A

When a well is drilled into pressurized aquifers

97
Q

What is a cone of depression?

A

The direction where the water flows toward the well

physical science (6 decks)

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