science vocab Flashcards
weathering
the process of wearing or being worn by long exposure to the atmosphere
Erosion
the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents
Deposition
the process of sediments soil and rocks being added together to make a landmass
Meander
sediment eroding river
Oxbow Lake
a U shaped lake
delta
the fan-shaped area at the mouth, or lower end, of a river
Alluvial Fan
triangle-shaped deposit of gravel, sand, and even smaller pieces of sediment
Floodplain
generally flat area of land next to a river or stream
Glacier
a slowly moving ice mass
Glacial Drift
clay, silt, sand, gravel, boulders transported by a glacier and deposited directly by or from the ice
Cirque
amphitheatre shaped basin with precipitous walls
Horn
when glaciers erode three or more aretes
Arete
a sharp mountain ridge
Moraine
a mass of rocks and sediment carried down and deposited by a glacier, typically as ridges at its edges or extremity
Kettle Lake
hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters
spit
narrow coastal land formation that is tied to the coast at one end
Barrier Island
coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy
Sand Dunes
a form composed of wind water or driven sand
mass wasting
the movement of rock and soil down slope under the influence of gravity
mudflow
flow of water that contains large amounts of suspended particles and silt
land slide
several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements
