Geomorphology Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

Agents of weathering

A
  • Water
  • Ice
  • Acids
  • Salts
  • Plants
  • Animals
  • Changes in temperature
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Types of physical weathering

A
  • Temperature change
  • Freeze thaw/ Frost Shattering
  • Abrasion - Wind, Rain, Waves
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Degree of chemical weathering depends on

A
  • Type of rock
  • Temperature
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How acidic rain is made:

A
  • Fossil fuels are burnt up, releasing oxides such as nitrogen, carbon and sulphur into the atmosphere
  • These oxides combine with the moisture in the air, and form nitric acid, sulphuric acid, carbonic acid
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Types of Biological weathering

A
  • Trees and other plants
  • Tiny organisms
  • Burrowing animals
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Difference between weathering, erosion, deposition

A

Weathering: occurs on the spot
Erosion: weathered rocks or minerals are transported away
Deposition: comes to rest

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Transporting agents

A
  • Gravity
  • Water
  • Wind
  • Ice
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

River valley sections

A
  • Upper Course (young)
  • Middle Course (aged/mature)
  • Lower Course (old)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Rivers goal

A

To erode all land to sea level

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Agents of erosion

A
  • Rivers
  • Oceans
  • Winds
  • Glaciers
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Meander is also called

A

River bend

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Importance of rivers to man

A
  • For our survival: water
  • For food
  • Irrigation, watering our crops
  • Transportation
  • Energy, hydro electric power
  • Leisure
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Characteristics of upper course

A
  • Closer to the source
  • Steep gradient
  • Small river and flows quickly
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Features in upper course

A
  • V- shaped valleys
  • Interlocking spurs
  • Rapids
  • Waterfalls
  • Gorges and canyons
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Types of erosion

A
  • Hydraulic action
  • Abrasion
  • Attrition
  • Solution
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Types of transportation

A
  • Traction
  • Saltation
  • Suspension
  • Solution
17
Q

V - shaped valleys

A

Deep valleys with steep sides

18
Q

Interlocking spurs

A
  • Erosion outside the banks and vertical erosion
  • Results in ridges of high land (spurs) to project towards the river, decreasing in height towards the river
19
Q

Waterfalls are commonly formed

A

When a river crosses a band of hard or resistant rock

20
Q

White water shows

A

A lot of turbulence

21
Q

What results in rapids

A

Friction that is caused

22
Q

River’s velocity depends on

A
  • Gradient
  • Smoother the channel/path
  • Volume
23
Q

Rapids

A

Steep slope, with rough river bed (uneven due to alternating bands of soft and hard rock)

24
Q

Characteristics of Middle Course

A
  • Gradient not as steep as Upper Course
  • Lateral erosion (erosion of the banks) more effective than vertical
  • More wider, open appearance
  • Some deposition takes place
  • Meanders are common
25
Q

Features in Middle Course

A
  • Meanders: river cliffs and slip-off slopes
  • Ox-bow lakes
26
Q

Meanders with river cliffs and slip-off slopes

A
  • Outside banks are undercut creating river cliffs
  • Inside banks where water flows more slowly with deposition. Giving rise to gentler slopes/slip-off slopes
27
Q

Ox-bow lakes

A
  • Sometimes meanders become so pronounced that only a narrow neck of land is left
  • When a river is in flood the neck breaks
  • Deposition then takes place sealing off the ends of the meander
28
Q

Characteristics in the lower course

A
  • Nearest the sea
  • Gradient is gentler
  • River flows slowly
  • Volume of water is greater
  • Transportation is mainly suspension and solution
  • Deposition is more important than erosion
29
Q

Features in a lower course

A
  • Floodplain
  • Levees
  • Braiding
  • Deltas
30
Q

Floodplains

A
  • Middle and lower course
  • Alluvium is deposited on valley floor
31
Q

Levees

A
  • River floods, depositing material on flood plains
  • Heavier material are deposited near the river
  • After successful floods, natural embankments called levees are created
32
Q

Braiding

A
  • Occurs when the river divides over various distances into two or more channels
  • Occurs when the river carries a large load/the volume of the river changes rapidly from season to season
33
Q

Deltas form under these conditions

A
  • River carries large amount of sediment
  • Sea is relatively calm (no waves or strong currents to carry sediment away)
  • Sea is not too deep
  • River flows slowly
  • Vertical difference between high tide and low tide (tidal range) is not too great
34
Q

Traction

A

In the upper course. Big rocks roll/slide down with the water

35
Q

Saltation

A

In the upper course. Pebbles (smaller) are bounced with the movement of the water

36
Q

Suspension

A

In the middle and lower course. Tiny grains of sand and silt/clay are held in the body of the water carried along with the flow.

37
Q

Solution

A

In middle and lower course. Minerals that are dissolved in water are carried along in solution