Erosion Flashcards
the action of surface processes that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth’s crust, and then transport it away to another location
erosion
the breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with the Earth’s atmosphere, waters, and biological organisms
weathering
continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth
water cycle
the surface of a liquid into a gaseous phase that is not saturated with the evaporating substance
evaporation
change of the physical state of matter from gas phase into liquid phase, and is the reverse of evaporation
condensation
precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity
precipitation
waters are those which ooze, seep, or filter through the soil beneath the surface, without a defined channel, or in a course that is unknown and not discoverable from surface indications without excavation for that purpose
percolation
the draining away of water from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure
runoff
a river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake
tributary
an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas
watershed
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea
continental divide
The process by which water, ice, wind, or gravity moves fragments of rock and soil
deposition
a nearly flat plain of alluvial deposit between diverging branches of the mouth of a river, often, though not necessarily, triangular
delta
a fan-shaped mass of alluvium deposited as the flow of a river decreases in velocity
alluvial fan
flood plain is an area of land adjacent to a stream or river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge
floodplain
