Earth Sciences Flashcards
Name the 2 textures of all rocks.
Crystals and Grains.
What are all rocks made up of?
Minerals.
What is weathering?
Rocks wearing down and getting smaller by water and change of temperature.
Name the 3 different types of weathering.
Physical, Chemical and Biological.
Name the 2 different types of Chemical Weathering and explain what happens with them.
Rain - Rain is slightly acidic because of the CO2 in the air. This takes thousands of years to break down the rock.
Acid Rain - Pollution from factories and power stations pollute the rain even more making it even more acidic. This takes hundreds years break down the rock.
Name the 2 different types of Physical Weathering and explain them.
Freeze-Thaw - During the day water seeps into cracks in the rock and during night it freezes and expands making the crack bigger then melts again then it rains during the day into the cracks then freezes again at night until the rock splits.
Exfoliation - During the day the top layer of the rock gets hot and expands then at night contracts when it’s cold and this cycle happens for a long time until the top layer gets weak and falls off. This generally happens in the desert.
Name the one type of Biological Weathering and explain it.
The seed may be underneath a rock and the stem finds a crack in the rock and works its way through the cracks in the rock to the top. The stem makes the cracks bigger.
If a rock is porous, what does that mean?
That water can flow through the gaps in the grains in the rock.
If a rock is not porous, the what does that mean?
That water can’t flow through the gaps in the grains of the rock.
What is a geologist?
A scientist who studies rocks.
What is a mineral?
A compound contained in a rock.
Name the sediment cycle.
Weathered bits of rock fall to the bottom of the cliff. This is called erosion. Rivers and streams can transport them away. Bits of rock bump into each other whilst being transported and they get smooth. This is called abrasion. The bits being carried by the river is called sediment. The faster the flow, the bigger the rock can be transported.
What is erosion?
The transportation or movement of rock.
