Denudation Flashcards
What is weathering
Weathering is the breakdown and decay of rocks that are exposed to weather
What is denudation
Is occurred by erosion and weathering the two processes as a whole are know as denudation
What is erosion
The breakdown of rocks and the removal of the particles that result
What are the two types of weathering
Mechanical weathering
Chemical weathering
What are the types of erosion
Moving water (rivers and sea) Moving ice (glaciers) Moving air (wind)
What is freeze thow action
The break up of rock by frost action. By day water goes info the cracks if the rocks. By night it freezes and expands. Over time it continues and causes the rock to brake off
Explain the cycle of freeze thaw action
Bay day the water in in the crack
By night water freezes and expands
Overtime rock brakes off
Scree is left
What is the rock that falls off during the process of freeze thaw action called
Scree
What is carbonation
Carbonation occurs because carbon dioxide mixes with the rainwater forming a weak carbonic acid
The acid reaches with the calcium in the rock to make it to dissolve slowly
What is a limestone pavement
A large area of exposed limestone
What is a bedding plane
Bedding planes seperate the layers of limestone
What is a karst region
An area where the soil has been removed leaving a large area exposed to limestone
What is a grike
The crakes that seperate the clints
What are clints
the peice of limestone rock that separates the grikes
How is a stalagmite made
When drops of water drip from the stalactite fall onto the floor and evaporate they also deposited calcite that grows upwards
What is a stalictight how is it formed
When calcium carbonate runs down the rock and dissolves it leaving calcite to make drops from the roof of the cave
What are pillars/columns
When stalagmites and stalictight join together
What does transported mean
The removal of the particles of rocks being moved by water,wind,ice
What does deposited mean
The particles of the rocks have moved somewhere else
What is mechanical weathering
Is a type of weathering that causes rock to brake up into smaller pieces
What is chemical al weathering
A type of weathering that causes rocks to decay or dissolve because of a chemical change
What does permeable mean
The water can go through it
What is a swallow hole and how is it made
It is made when rivers flow onto a bare limestone surface and dissolves the limestone. The water widens the joints and bedding planes opening them up so the water can run through tune river disappears from the surface nod runs underground
What is a stalactite and how is it formed
When calcium carbonate runs down through the rock t dissolves leaving calcite which makes drops coming from the roof which. Builds up over years
How is a cave formed
As the river flows along flows underground( fro. The swallow hholes) the carbonic acid in the water dissolves the limestone leaving long tunnels called caves
What is a cavern
Sometimes when caves get very big they form a big chamber called a cavern
What is the burren
The burren is a large karst region in west co. Clare known for its flora,fauna,landscape and history
What is flora
Plants
What is fauna
Animals
What does chemical weathering do
Dissolve rocks
What does permeable mean
Water easily passes through
What are joint
Vertical cracks on a limestone pavement also known as cracks
