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
the level below which the ground is saturated with water
water table
the process of removing contaminants from wastewater
sewage treatment plants
a tank, typically underground, in which sewage is collected and allowed to decompose through bacterial activity before draining by means of a leaching field
septic tank
a column of rock standing in the sea, remaining after erosion of cliffs
sea stacks
a natural opening eroded out of a cliff face by marine processes
sea arches
a type of cave formed primarily by the wave action of the sea
sea caves
a shallow-water shelf inclining gently away from the base of an eroded sea cliff
wave-cut terraces
a narrow piece of land that projects from a coastline into the sea
headlands
a pebbly or sandy shore
beach
