Geomorphological Processes Flashcards
Marine processes are processes that relate/ connect to the..
Sea
Processes that are connected to the sea are called…processes
Marine
Weathering is the breakdown of rock that remains … (stays where it is) until it’s later moved by erosional processes
In situ
Mass movement is the downhill movement of sediment under the influence of…
Gravity
3 categories of weathering
Mechanical
Biological
Chemical
… is the breakdown/ wearing away of rocks by mechanical action e.g waves/ wind/ glaciers/ rivers that involves moving sediment away
(e.g in hydraulic action the rock is broken apart and then ends up being carried away by the sea)
Erosion
Erosion meaning
Breakdown/ wearing away of rocks by mechanical action (e.g from wind/ glaciers/ rivers/ waves) that involves moving sediment away
Transportation is the process that moves material from its site of…to its site of …
Erosion
Deposition
Another term for freeze- thaw
Frost shattering
Another term for frost shattering
Freeze thaw
3 types of mechanical weathering
Frost shattering/ freeze thaw
Salt crystallisation
Wetting and drying
How frost shattering/ freeze thaw breaks down rock (mechanical weathering)
Rain enters cracks in rocks
When it’s cold enough the water freezes and expands which exerts pressure on the rock and forces cracks to open further and widen
When temperatures increase the frozen water then thaws
This process of water freezing and thawing repeats until fragments of rock break off
How salt crystallisation breaks down rock (mechanical weathering)
Salt water gets onto rock
When the water evaporates it leaves behind salt crystals which overtime grow and exert stresses on the rock and break it apart (e.g if salt crystals form in the cracks of rocks)
How wetting and drying breaks down rock (mechanical weathering)
When clay gets wet (due to rain/ sea exposure) the clay particles absorb water so the clay expands but when it gets dry it contracts. This process causes cracks to form in the rock so that it’s more susceptible to other forms of weathering like frost shattering
Wetting and drying (a type of mechanical weathering) involves rock as that are rich in…
Clay
Frost shattering is a type of… weathering
Mechanical
Salt crystallisation is a type of…weathering
Mechanical
Wetting and drying is a type of…weathering
Mechanical
…..is where salt water on rocks evaporates and leaves behind salt crystals which overtime grow and exert pressures on the rock, breaking it apart
Salt crystallisation (type of mechanical weathering)
…is where clay rock expands when it’s wet and contracts when it’s dry causing the rock to crack which makes it more susceptible to other types of weathering like frost shattering
Wetting and drying (type of mechanical weathering)
3 types of biological weathering
Plants
Water
Animals
How plants break down rocks (mechanical weathering)
Plants roots grow into cracks in rock making the cracks widen which breaks up the rocks
How water breaks down rocks (biological weathering)
Water becomes acidic as it passes through decaying vegetation so its acidic when it reaches the rock (so can increase rate/ chance of chemical weathering)
How animals break down rocks (biological weathering)
Birds/ animals (e.g puffins/ rabbits) dig burrows into the rock which creates cracks that can be further broken apart by other types of weathering
Limpets secrete acids (which can cause the rock to dissolve)