Chptr 27 Flashcards
The process that involves the physical or chemical breakdown of materials 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
The process in which rocks weather, erosional agents like water, ice, wind, and gravity move eroded materials from one place to another.
sedimentary transport
A process in which the erosional agent slows down/melts and drops this sediment load.
deposition
What is the land area that gathers water for a major river?
drainage basin
The movement of water parallel to the shoreline.
longshore current
Do rocks weather at the same rate?
no
What are the main factors that determine how fast a rock will weather?
rock type & landscape
What are the two types of weathering?
mechanical weathering & 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 three specific types of mechanical weathering?
frost wedging, biological activity, & collisions
What causes frost wedging?
occurs when water collects in the cracks of a rock and freezes, slowly wedging the rock open
What is the cycle called during frost wedging?
“Freeze-Thaw Cycles”
What causes biological activity?
plants (roots) & animals (burrows)
What causes weathering during collisions?
when rocks fall from a cliff or tumble through turbulent rivers
What is soil formed from?
parent material
What are the two 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
What are soil horizons?
all the different layers of soil
How many soil horizons are there?
six
Do all soils contain every soil horizon?
no
What are the specific soil horizons?
O Horizon, A Horizon, E Horizon, B Horizon, C Horizon, & R Horizon
What does the first soil horizon contain?
organic material
What is the second horizon mostly made up of?
minerals
Which layer does leaching occur?
E Horizon
Which horizon collects materials from precious horizons?
B Horizon
Which layer is partially weathered bedrock?
C Horizon
Which layer is unweathered bedrock?
R Horizon
Which soil horizons make up the topsoil?
O Horizon & A Horizon
Which soil horizons make up the subsoil?
E Horizon & B Horizon
Which soil horizons make up the true soil?
O Horizon, A Horizon, E Horizon, & Horizon
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
weathering - breakdown of materials
erosion - removal of surface material
If the slope of a river decreases, what happens to the speed of the river?
the speed decreases
Small streams that flow into larger rivers are called ___.
tributaries
Land areas that gathers water for a major river is called a ____ ___.
drainage basin
A boundary that separates distinct drainage basins is called a ____ ___.
drainage divide
As water flows downhill under the influence of gravity, water erodes Earth’s surface creating ___.
channels
Young rivers are _____ due to the fast movement.
V-shaped
___ rivers are wide with smooth and gentle slopes.
Mature
When rivers flood and drop their sediment load, what type of land form is created?
flood plains
What is a fan shaped sediment deposit that forms at the mouth of a river?
deltas
What are the branching channels from deltas?
distributaries
What land form forms where the mouth of a river/stream enters dry land?
alluvial fans
What are the two types of glaciers?
valley glaciers & continental glaciers
Where do valley glaciers form?
high, mountainous regions
Where do continental glaciers form?
cold climates & large land areas
Where are the two continental glaciers located?
Greenland & Antarctica
What is a bowl shaped basin called?
a cirque
What do you call two adjacent valley glaciers meet & erode a long, sharp ridge?
an arete
What is a horn in a mountainous region?
sharpened peaks
What shape of valley do valley glaciers form?
U-shaped valleys
What are tributary glaciers?
small glaciers that feed into a large glacier
What type of valleys do tributary glaciers form?
hanging valleys
Which side of a sand dune does erosion occur?
the windward side
Which side of a sand dune does deposition occur?
the leeward side
What is the removal of small particles by the wind, that leaves heavier particles behind?
deflation
When small particles are removed, what is the remaining surface called?
desert pavement
What three things do the shape and sizes of landforms due to wind, depend on?
wind speed, amount of time the wind blows, & sediment supply
What are three landforms that are created due to wave erosion?
coastal cliffs, sea arches, & sea stacks
What are two landforms that are created by wave deposion?
sand bars & sand spits
What is a landform that is parallel to the shoreline?
a sand bar
What is the name of a sandbar that curves back toward land like a hook?
a sand spit
What can cause mass wasting?
snow, heavy rains, earthquakes, or human activity
What are some examples of mass wasting?
rock slides, mudflows, landslides
What states that in an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rock layers, where the youngest rocks will be at the top and the oldest rocks will be at the bottom?
principle of superposition
What is the process of placing objects/events in their proper order in time called?
relative dating
What is the process of assigning an exact numerical age to an organism, an object, or an event called?
absolute dating
What is a rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space called?
aquifer
What is the percentage of a material’s total volume that is pore space called?
porosity
What are the gaps in the rock record during which either erosion occurred or deposition was absent called?
unconformity
What is the upper boundary of the saturated zone called?
water table
What are the remains/traces of organisms found in the geological rock record called?
fossil
What is the process by which water enters Earth and becomes groundwater below the surface?
infiltration
What states that the laws of nature operate today as they would have in the past?
uniformitarianism
What percentage of water on Earth is salt water?
97%
What percentage of water on Earth is freshwater?
3%
Where is the majority of freshwater found?
glaciers (2%)
Where is the smaller percentage of freshwater found?
lakes, rivers, & stored groundwater (1%)
What is precipitation?
water vapor cools & condenses (rain, snow, sleet, hail)
What is runoff?
water running off the land surface
What is infiltration?
the process of water becoming groundwater
What is transpiration?
plants releasing water vapor through their leaves
What is evaporation?
water entering the air as water vapor
What is condensation?
water vapor colliding, becoming water droplets
What is the water cycle?
water on the land goes into the atmosphere before eventually returning to the land
What is an unsaturated zone for groundwater storage?
a porous area where water easily passes through
What is a saturated zone for groundwater storage?
where water completely fills the pore space
What is a water table?
the boundary between the saturated & unsaturated zones
What does it mean if sediment is permeable?
the more permeable a material is, the easier water can pass through it
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?
eight
What are the names of the states that the Great Plains Aquifer runs through?
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, & Wyoming
What is an aquitard?
an inpremeable that holds confined water
How are water springs formed?
the water table naturally meeting the Earth’s surface
What is an artesian well?
wells drilled into pressurized aquifers
What is a cone of depression?
the direction that the water flows towards the well
The process of assigning an exact numerical age to an organism, object, or event
absolute dating
What is the process of placing objects or events in their proper order in time?
relative dating
What states that the laws of nature operate today as they have in the past?
uniformitarianism
What states that in an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rock layers, the youngest rocks will be at the top and the oldest at the bottom?
the principle of superposition
What are the gaps in the rock record during which either erosion occurred or deposition was absent?
uncomformity
What are the remains or traces of organisms found in the geological rock record called?
fossils
