erosion Flashcards
erosion
is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth’s crust, and then transport it away to another location.
weathering
he action of the weather conditions in altering the color, texture, composition, or form of exposed objects; specifically : the physical disintegration and chemical decomposition of earth materials at or near the earth’s surface
water cycle
The continuous process by which water is circulated throughout the Earth and its atmosphere. The Earth’s water enters the atmosphere through evaporation from bodies of water and from ground surfaces. Plants and animals also add water vapor to the air by transpiration
evaporation
is the process of a substance in a liquid state changing to a gaseous state due to an increase in temperature and/or pressure. Evaporation is a fundamental part of the water cycle and is constantly occurring throughout nature.
condensation
is the process by which water vapor in the air is changed into liquid water. In other words, the water in the air, a gas known as water vapor, from your hot shower cooled when it met the surface of the cold mirror. This caused the water vapor to condense, or turn into its liquid form
precipitation
In meteorology, the fall of water, ice, or snow deposited on the surface of the Earth from the atmosphere. In chemistry, a chemical reaction in a solution in which a solid material is formed and subsequently falls, as a precipitate, to the bottom of the container.
percolation
in physics, chemistry and materials science, percolation refers to the movement and filtering of fluids through porous materials.
runoff
Surface runoff is water, from rain, snow-melt, or other sources, that flows over the land surface, and is a major component of the water cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called overland flow. A land area which produces runoff draining to a common point is called a watershed.
tributary
is a stream that flows into a river or larger stream.
watershed
is an area of land that captures rainfall and other precipitation and funnels it to a lake or stream or wetland. The Grand Traverse Bay watershed itself is defined as the area of land that captures rainfall and other precipitation and funnels it to Grand Traverse Bay. The Water Cycle.
continental divide
is a series of mountain ridges stretching from Alaska to Mexico, marking the separation of drainage basins that empty into the Pacific Ocean or Bering Sea from those that empty into the Arctic or Atlantic Oceans or the Gulf of Mexico
deposition
is the geological process in which sediments, soil and rocks are added to a landform or land mass. Wind, ice, water, and gravity transport previously weathered surface material, which, at the loss of enough kinetic energy in the fluid, is deposited, building up layers of sediment.
delta
a nearly flat plain of alluvial deposit between diverging branches of the mouth of a river, often, though not necessarily, triangular: the Nile delta. 7. (usually initial capital letter) a word used in communications to represent the letter D.
alluvial fan
A fan-shaped mass of sediment, especially silt, sand, gravel, and boulders, deposited by a river when its flow is suddenly slowed. Alluvial fans typically form where a river pours out from a steep valley through mountains onto a flat plain.
floodplain
Flat land bordering a river and made up of alluvium (sand, silt, and clay) deposited during floods. When a river overflows, the floodplain is covered with water.
