Chapter 6 Flashcards
What is denudation
Wearing down of the surface of the earth by weathering and erosion
What is weathering
The breakdown of rock
What are the two types of weathering
Mechanical and chemical
What is erosion
The wearing away of rock, the transportation of that rock and it’s deposition
How does freeze-thaw action work
Water enters a crack in a rock during the night the water freezes then expands the cracks this puts pressure on the rock which eventually breaks it
What is scree
Broken pieces of rock
What is exfoliation also known as
Onion weathering
What causes exfoliation
Caused when the outer layer of the rock is heated during the day and expands then contracts at night eventually the outer layer cracks and falls away
What is carbonation
When rain falls the rock takes in carbon dioxide from air and that acts like a week acid to open cracks or joints in the rock
What is a karst landscape
During the last ice age the glaciers cleared away the earths covering exposing the bare rock
What are clints
Blocks that form the limestone pavement
What are grikes
Gaps between the blocks
What are swallow holes (sink holes)
Openings in the surface
What are stalactites and stalagmites
Stalactites hang down from the ceiling
Stalagmites build up from the ground
What are pillars or columns
Stalactites and stalagmites joined together
