Rocks and Weathering Flashcards
What is erosion?
Erosion is the removal of rock particles by wind, water, ice or gravity.
What is weathering?
Weathering is the process that breaks down rock and other substances at Earth’s surface.
What is uniformitarianism?
Uniformitarianism is a principle that stats that the same processes that operate today operated in the past.
What is mechanical weathering?
The type of weathering in which rock is physically broken into smaller pieces called mechanical weathering.
What is abrasion?
Abrasion is the term referring to the grinding away of rock by particles carried by water, ice, wind, or gravity.
What is ice wedging?
Ice wedging is the process which wedges of ice in rocks widen and deepen cracks.
What is chemical weathering?
Chemical weathering is the process that breaks down rock through chemical changes.
What is oxidation?
Oxidation is the process which iron combines with oxygen in the presence of water.
What is permeable?
Permeable means that a material is full of tiny, connected air spaces that allow water to seep through it.
