Erosion Flashcards
the transportation of soil and sediments
erosion
the breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals
weathering
the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land
water cycle
process of a substance in a liquid state changing to a gaseous state due to an increase in temperature and/or pressure
evaporation
water that collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it
condensation
the action or process of precipitating a substance from a solution
precipitation
the process of a liquid slowly passing through a filter
percolation
the draining away of water from the surface of an area of land
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
watershed
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 action of deposing someone
deposition
nearly flat plain of alluvial deposit between diverging branches of the mouth of a river
delta
a fan-shaped mass of alluvium deposited as the flow of a river decreases in velocity
alluvial fan
Flat land bordering a river and made up of alluvium
floodplain
