Land and Water, Erosion and Sedimentation

Question 1

How is water restored in rivers?

Answer 1

Through flood events

Question 2

What are the 5 components of the rock cycle?

Answer 2

1. Igneous rock
2. Sediment
3. Sedimentary rock
4. Metamorphic rock
5. Magma

Question 3

What is the difference between weathering and erosion?

Answer 3

Weathering refers to the breakdown of materials in-situ

Contrarily, erosion refers to the process of detachment and entrainment/transportation of sediment

Question 4

What is the difference between sediment and soil?

Answer 4

Sediment is material that has been weathered and eroded by elemental processes (fluvial, glacial, aeolian, etc).

Contrarily, soil is a mixture of minerals and organic matter in various states that comprise the top layer of the Earth’s surface

Question 5

What are the 3 particle size classes?

Answer 5

1. Mud
2. Sand
3. Pebble

Question 6

Denudation (downwearing)

Answer 6

The removal of material and reduction in relief caused by erosional processes

Question 7

What is the order of the rate of deundation?

Answer 7

Glacial > Fluvial > Aeolian

Question 8

What are the 2 types of sediment movement?

Answer 8

1. En masse
2. Particulate sediment movement

Question 9

En masse sediment movement

Answer 9

Movement of a body of sediment such as landslides and glaciers

Question 10

Particulate sediment movement

Answer 10

Movement of sediment grain by grain, typically through fluvial or aeolian means

Question 11

What are depositional environments?

Answer 11

Stores of sediment that form distinctive topographical features

Question 12

What 3 aspects do material properties depend on?

Answer 12

1. Source of sediment
2. Transporting medium (energy)
3. Depositional environment

Question 13

What are the 4 key attributes of material properties?

Answer 13

1. Size
2. Sorting
3. Angularity/sphericity
4. Composition

Question 14

What two key processes affect grain size and angualrity in downstream areas?

Answer 14

Abrasion and selective entrainment

Question 15

What are the 3 aspects of the sedimentary system?

Answer 15

1. Source
2. Transport
3. Sink

Question 16

Aggradation

Answer 16

Sediment build up

Question 17

Degradation

Answer 17

The lowering of a fluvial bed

Question 18

What are the 4 elements of anthroprogenic disturbance caused by deforestation?

Answer 18

1. Landslides
2. Aggradation
3. Slow sediment
4. Decades to remedy

Question 19

How are dams an exmaple of anthroprogenic disturbance?

Answer 19

Dams trap sediment and deplete sediment load. This creates hungry water which cuts into the channel bed

Question 20

Hungry water

Answer 20

Water with excess transport capacity in comparison to its sediment load. This extra energy cuts into the channel bed, creating an incision