Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Physical Science > Chptr 27 > Flashcards

Chptr 27 Flashcards

1
Q

The process that involves the physical or 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

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

A

sedimentary transport

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

A process in which the erosional agent slows down/melts and drops this sediment load.

A

deposition

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

What is the land area that gathers water for a major river?

A

drainage basin

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.

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

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

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

A

rock type & 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 weathering & chemical weathering

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

What type 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 three specific types of mechanical weathering?

A

frost wedging, biological activity, & collisions

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

What causes frost wedging?

A

occurs when water collects in the cracks of a rock and freezes, slowly wedging the rock open

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 activity?

A

plants (roots) & animals (burrows)

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 is soil formed from?

A

parent material

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

What are the two types of chemical weathering caused by?

A

oxygen & water

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 oxygen?

A

oxidation

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

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

A

hydrolysis

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

What are soil horizons?

A

all 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

six

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

Do all soils contain every soil horizon?

A

no

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What are the specific soil horizons?
O Horizon, A Horizon, E Horizon, B Horizon, C Horizon, & R Horizon
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?
E Horizon
29
Which horizon collects materials from precious horizons?
B Horizon
30
Which layer is partially weathered bedrock?
C Horizon
31
Which layer is unweathered bedrock?
R Horizon
32
Which soil horizons make up the topsoil?
O Horizon & A Horizon
33
Which soil horizons make up the subsoil?
E Horizon & B Horizon
34
Which soil horizons make up the true soil?
O Horizon, A Horizon, E Horizon, & Horizon
35
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
weathering - breakdown of materials | erosion - removal of surface material
36
If the slope of a river decreases, what happens to the speed of the river?
the speed decreases
37
Small streams that flow into larger rivers are called ___.
tributaries
38
Land areas that gathers water for a major river is called a ____ ___.
drainage basin
39
A boundary that separates distinct drainage basins is called a ____ ___.
drainage divide
40
As water flows downhill under the influence of gravity, water erodes Earth's surface creating ___.
channels
41
Young rivers are _____ due to the fast movement.
V-shaped
42
___ rivers are wide with smooth and gentle slopes.
Mature
43
When rivers flood and drop their sediment load, what type of land form is created?
flood plains
44
What is a fan shaped sediment deposit that forms at the mouth of a river?
deltas
45
What are the branching channels from deltas?
distributaries
46
What land form forms where the mouth of a river/stream enters dry land?
alluvial fans
47
What are the two types of glaciers?
valley glaciers & continental glaciers
48
Where do valley glaciers form?
high, mountainous regions
49
Where do continental glaciers form?
cold climates & large land areas
50
Where are the two continental glaciers located?
Greenland & Antarctica
51
What is a bowl shaped basin called?
a cirque
52
What do you call two adjacent valley glaciers meet & erode a long, sharp ridge?
an arete
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 a large glacier
56
What type of valleys do tributary glaciers form?
hanging valleys
57
Which side of a sand dune does erosion occur?
the windward side
58
Which side of a sand dune does deposition occur?
the leeward side
59
What is the removal of small particles by the wind, that leaves heavier particles behind?
deflation
60
When small particles are removed, what is the remaining surface called?
desert pavement
61
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
62
What are three landforms that are created due to wave erosion?
coastal cliffs, sea arches, & sea stacks
63
What are two landforms that are created by wave deposion?
sand bars & sand spits
64
What is a landform that is parallel to the shoreline?
a sand bar
65
What is the name of a sandbar that curves back toward land like a hook?
a sand spit
66
What can cause mass wasting?
snow, heavy rains, earthquakes, or human activity
67
What are some examples of mass wasting?
rock slides, mudflows, landslides
68
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
69
What is the process of placing objects/events in their proper order in time called?
relative dating
70
What is the process of assigning an exact numerical age to an organism, an object, or an event called?
absolute dating
71
What is a rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space called?
aquifer
72
What is the percentage of a material's total volume that is pore space called?
porosity
73
What are the gaps in the rock record during which either erosion occurred or deposition was absent called?
unconformity
74
What is the upper boundary of the saturated zone called?
water table
75
What are the remains/traces of organisms found in the geological rock record called?
fossil
76
What is the process by which water enters Earth and becomes groundwater below the surface?
infiltration
77
What states that the laws of nature operate today as they would have in the past?
uniformitarianism
78
What percentage of water on Earth is salt water?
97%
79
What percentage of water on Earth is freshwater?
3%
80
Where is the majority of freshwater found?
glaciers (2%)
81
Where is the smaller percentage of freshwater found?
lakes, rivers, & stored groundwater (1%)
82
What is precipitation?
water vapor cools & condenses (rain, snow, sleet, hail)
83
What is runoff?
water running off the land surface
84
What is infiltration?
the process of water becoming groundwater
85
What is transpiration?
plants releasing water vapor through their leaves
86
What is evaporation?
water entering the air as water vapor
87
What is condensation?
water vapor colliding, becoming water droplets
88
What is the water cycle?
water on the land goes into the atmosphere before eventually returning to the land
89
What is an unsaturated zone for groundwater storage?
a porous area where water easily passes through
90
What is a saturated zone for groundwater storage?
where water completely fills the pore space
91
What is a water table?
the boundary between the saturated & unsaturated zones
92
What does it mean if sediment is permeable?
the more permeable a material is, the easier water can pass through it
93
What is an aquifer?
a rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space
94
What is the name of the Great Plains Aquifer?
Ogallala Aquifer
95
How many states does the Great Plains Aquifer run through?
eight
96
What are the names of the states that the Great Plains Aquifer runs through?
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, & Wyoming
97
What is an aquitard?
an inpremeable that holds confined water
98
How are water springs formed?
the water table naturally meeting the Earth's surface
99
What is an artesian well?
wells drilled into pressurized aquifers
100
What is a cone of depression?
the direction that the water flows towards the well
101
The process of assigning an exact numerical age to an organism, object, or event
absolute dating
102
What is the process of placing objects or events in their proper order in time?
relative dating
103
What states that the laws of nature operate today as they have in the past?
uniformitarianism
104
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
105
What are the gaps in the rock record during which either erosion occurred or deposition was absent?
uncomformity
106
What are the remains or traces of organisms found in the geological rock record called?
fossils

Physical Science (6 decks)

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