Test 4, Chapter 4 Flashcards
A huge bowl-shaped depression dug out by a valley glacier is a(n)?
cirque
What is a natural ridge formed along the edge of a river’s channel?
levee
Which type of weathering involves the breaking or peeling away of rock into layers?
exfoliation
A pillarlike structure of rock formed when the middle of a sea arch collapses is a
sea stack
The feature formed by streams merging and flowing toward the sea as a large river is a
river system
What is produced when a sea cave is eroded continually?
sea arch
Large, deep grooves and scratches in rock, produced by glaciers, are?
striae
The piles of debris left behind when a glacier melts are
moraines
A low hill formed when a glacier overruns a moraine is a?
drumlin
Deposits of clay and silt left by a sandstorm are
loess
What type of weathering occurs when rainwater soaks into cracks in a rock and freezes, splitting the rock?
ice wedging
When a glacier-carved valley fills with seawater, a(n) ____ forms.
fjord
Which natural acid, found in rainwater and ground water, promotes chemical weathering of rocks?
carbonic acid
The most important effect of wind erosion is
deflation
Regions of the earth’s surface where limestone is exposed and abundant are called ____ regions
karst
Ice sheets smaller than continental glaciers are
ice caps!
A long pile of rocks deposited parallel to the shore to prevent erosion is a(n)
breakwater
The sharp, steeple-shaped point of a mountain with three or more cirques is a(n)
horn
A large, funnel-shaped depression in the ground caused by cavern collapse is a(n)
sinkhole
Narrow, sandy islands that lie off the coast of the mainland are called ____
barrier islands
The eroding action of windblown sand is called?
abrasion
Suspension, saltation, and creep, in which wind transports sediments, are ___ processes.
aeolian
The natural processes that break down rocks are collectively called ______
weathering
A spirelike mass of dripstone on the floor of a cave is called a ______
stalagmite
The method of erosion prevention that modifies a smooth slope into a series of level, stairlike steps is ________
terracing
The carrying away of rock fragments, such as by wind or running water, is called ____
erosion
The type of rock most commonly associated with caverns is _____
limestone
Particles too heavy to be lifted by the wind are rolled in short bursts through a process called _____
creep
the source of a river
headwaters
the sediments carried by a stream
load
one of the numerous streams that feed into a river at various points
tributary
land that borders a river and is covered by river water in flood time
floodplain
a winding, looping curve in a river on flat ground
meander
lake formed when a sharp curve in a river is cut off from the rest of the river
oxbow lake
fan-shaped deposit of sediments at the mouth of the river
delta
region of land drained by a stream or river system
drainage basin
a large stream that carries water from the mountains to the sea
river
fan-shaped deposit of sediments at the mouth of a dry steam bed in the desert
alluvial fan
What are two general types of weathering?
chemical weathering, physical weathering
What are the two major types of glaciers?
continental glacier, valley (or alpine) glacier
Name the deep cracks that develop on the surface of a glacier
crevasses
What are limestone formations that have become filled with various passageways and large caves called?
caverns
What is the main agent of chemical weathering?
water
What is a vertical face of rock called that forms when the sea erodes land?
sea cliff
List and describe three of the five major types of mass wasting.
- Soil creep is a very slow (few inches of movement or less per year) downslope movement of soil and rock fragments; it can be caused by soil expansion and contraction due to changes in heat and moisture or by the actions of plants and animals.
- Mudflows, the most fluid and fastest type of mass wasting, are rapid movements of loose, water-saturated soil.
- An avalanche occurs when a mass of ice and snow abruptly dislodges from a mountain face, usually as the result of a sharp noise or other disturbance. An avalanche may also involve rock fragments or vegetation.
- A landslide occurs when huge masses of rock or soil suddenly slide down a slope.
- Rockfalls occur when individual rock fragments break off the sides of a steep cliff after exposure to gradual weathering such as exfoliation.
