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Geology > Unit 5 > Flashcards

Unit 5 Flashcards

1
Q

the process by which rocks break down into smaller pieces by physical means

A

Mechanical weathering

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2
Q

cracking and breaking of rock through greeze-thaw cycles

A

Mechanical weathering: ice wedging

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3
Q

the grinding and wearing of rock surfaces through the mechanical action of other rock or sane particles

A

Mechanical Weathering: Abrasion

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4
Q

Mechanical Weathering: plant and animal activity

A

roots of plants or movement of animals cause breakdown of material

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5
Q

the process by which a metallic element combines with oxygen

A

Chemical weathering: oxidation

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6
Q

a chemical reaction between water and another substance to form two or more new substances

A

Chemical weathering: hydrolysis

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7
Q

the conversion of a compound into a carbonate

A

Chemical weathering: Carbonation

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8
Q

precipitation, such as rain, sleet, or snow, that contains a high concentration of acids, often because of the pollution of the atmosphere

A

Chemical weathering: Acid precipitation

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9
Q

Differential weathering: What affects the extent and rate at which rocks weather

A

Rock composition, Amount of Exposure, Climate, Topography, human activities, plants and animal activities. Affect the extent and rate at which rocks weather

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10
Q

Describe soil characteristics

A
  • soil texture describes the size of the soil particals
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11
Q

a horizontal layer of soil that can be distinguished from the layers above and below it

A

Soil profiles: Horizons

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12
Q

dark, organic material formed in soil from the decayed remains of plants and animals

A

soil profiles: humus

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13
Q

soil profiles: Describe the different soil layers

A

Surface litter: fallen leaves and partially decomposed organic matter
Topsoil: organic matter, living organisms, and rock particles
Zone of leaching: dissolved or suspended materials moving downward
Subsoil: larger rock particles with organic matter, and inorganic compounds
Rock particles: rock that has undergone weathering
Bedrock: solid rock layer

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14
Q

What is the effect of climate on soil

A

it influences weathering processes which influence soil composition

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15
Q

Identify agents of erosion

A

wind, water, ice, or gravity

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16
Q

improper plowing of furrows, or long, narrow rows

A

Soil erosion: gullying

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17
Q

the process by which water flows over a layer of soil and removes the topsoil

A

soil erosion: sheet erosion

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18
Q

what are the results of soil erosion

A

Constant erosion of the A horizon leaves less fertile land.

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19
Q

Why is soil conservation important?

A

methods to prevent/reduce erosion rates; especially those caused by human activities

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20
Q

Identify farming methods that help conserve soil

A

Contour Plowing: fields are plowed in contours to follow that shape of land
Strip-cropping: crops are planted in alternating bands
Cover crops
Terracing: the construction of steplike ridges that follow contours of a sloped field
Crop Rotation: the process of farmers rotating the type of crops that are planted

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21
Q

dramatic and destructive mass movements

A

Mass movement: Rockfalls and landslides

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22
Q

saturation of soils can also contribute to movement of soil

A

Mass movement: Mudflows, slumps

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23
Q

the slow, down slope flow of soil saturated with water in areas surrounding glaciers at high elevations

A

mass movements: solifluction

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24
Q

the slow downhill movement of weathered rock material

A

mass movements: creep

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25
Q

rounds sharp peaks and valleys and eventually wear a mountain away

A

landforms: erosion of mountains

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26
Q

Landforms: Erosion of plains and plateaus

A

Plain: flat landform near sea level
Plateau: broad, flat landform that has a high elevation
Produce and shape plateaus and can wear down into mesas and buttes

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27
Q

Diagram the water cycle: Exapotranspiration

A

the total loss of water from an area, which equals the sum of the water lost by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and the water lost via transpiration from organisms

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28
Q

Diagram the water cycle. condensation

A

the change of state from a gas to a liquid; produces clouds

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29
Q

Diagram the water cycle: precipitation

A

any form of water that falls to Earth’s surface from the clouds; including rain, snow, sleet, and hail

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30
Q

Earths water budget: Global vs. local budget

A

Factors that affect local water budget include temperature, vegetation, wind, and the amounts of rainfall.
Water use can also impact the water budget for a local area.
Avg. person in the US uses approx. 21,000 gallons of water a year.
Waste water used by cities and industry is often returned to rivers or oceans but wastewater may contain harmful materials.
While Earth holds a lot of water, only a small percentage of that water is fresh waster that can be used by humans.
To maintain freshwater we can look to conservation and alternative sources.

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31
Q

Earths Water budget: Importance of water budgeting

A

to maintain freshwater,

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32
Q

Earth’s Water Budget
Desalination

A

a process of removing salt from ocean water

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33
Q

Parts of a River System
Tributaries

A

a stream that flows into a lake or into a larger stream

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34
Q

Parts of a River System
Watershed

A

the area of land that is drained by a river system

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35
Q

what contributes to channel erosion

A

stream load: materials other than water carried by the stream, Stream discharge: the volume of water the flows within a given time,
Stream gradient: the change in elevation over a given distance; the steepness of the stream’s slope

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36
Q

Stream load: Suspended

A

Suspended load consists of particles of fine sand and silt that is suspended and carried in stream.

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37
Q

Stream load: Bed

A

load is made up of larger, coarser materials; moves by sliding and jumping along bed.

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38
Q

Stream load: Dissolved

A

the mineral components dissolved and transported in the stream

39
Q

Types of streams

A

straight, meandering, and braided

40
Q

one of the bends, twists, or curves in a low-gradient stream or river

A

Meander

41
Q

a stream or river that is composed of multiple channels that divide and rejoin around sediment bars

A

Braided Stream

42
Q

a fan-shaped mass of rock material deposited at the mouth of a stream
Forms when a stream deposits sediment into another body of water
Size determined by waves, tides, offshore depths, and sediment load

A

Delta

43
Q

a fan-shaped mass of rock material deposited by a stream when the slope of the land decreases sharply
Forms when a stream deposits sediment on land.

A

Alluvial fan

44
Q

an area along a river that forms sediments deposited when the river overflows its banks

A

Floodplain

45
Q

raised banks of streams produced from the accumulation of deposits along the banks

A

Natural levees:

46
Q

Impacts on flooding:

A

Removal of vegetation can inhibit soil integrity and water can move more freely
Logging and clearing of land can increase the volume and speed of runoff

47
Q

Flood control:

A

Dams
Artificial levees: artificially created barriers that prevent the overflow of water ways
Floodways: permanent overflow channels can provide a way to carry away excess water

48
Q

the water that is beneath Earth’s surface

A

Groundwater:

49
Q

body of rock or sediment in which large amounts of water can flow and be stored

A

aquifer

50
Q

he percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces

A

Porosity

51
Q

the ability of a rock or sediment to let fluids pass through its open spaces, or pores

A

Permeability

52
Q

the zone that lies between the water table and Earth’s surface; most of the pore space if filled by air but water can move through

A

Zone of aeration

53
Q

the layer of an aquifer in which the pore space is completely filled with water

A

Zone of saturation

54
Q

Water table

A

the upper surface of underground water; the upper boundary of the zone of saturation

55
Q

a hole that is dug to below the level of the water table and through which groundwater is brought to Earth’s surface.

A

Well

56
Q

how does groundwater reach earths surface

A

through wells and springs

57
Q

natural flow of groundwater to Earth’s surface in places where the ground surface dips below the water table.

A

spring

58
Q

how do hot springs and geysers form

A

when groundwater is heated when its passes through rock that has been heated by magma.

59
Q

water that contains relatively high concentrations of dissolved minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, and iron

A

Hard water

60
Q

water that contains relatively low concentrations of dissolved minerals

A

Soft water

61
Q

a natural cavity that forms in rock as a result of the dissolution of minerals; also a large cave that commonly contains many smaller, connecting chambers

A

Cavern

62
Q

Sinkhole

A

a circular depression that forms when rock dissolves, when overlying sediment fills an existing cavity, or when the roof of an underground cavern or mine collapses

63
Q

a type of irregular topography that is characterized by caverns, sinkholes, and underground drainage and that forms on limestone or other soluble rock

A

Karst topography

64
Q

a large mass of moving ice

A

Glaciers

65
Q

an almost motionless mass of permanent snow and ice; typically found at high elevations and in polar regions

A

Snow fields

66
Q

Formation of glacial ice:

A

Begins with snow; summer snow loss is less than winter gain; snow is compacted and through recrystallization through melting and refreezing remove air
Firn: granular, compacted snow with air removed from crystals through compaction and refreezing
Glacial ice: largest degree of compression and recrystallization

67
Q

a narrow, wedge-shaped mass of ice that forms in a mountainous region and that is confined to a small area by surrounding topography

A

Alpine glacier

68
Q

a massive sheet of ice that may cover millions of square kilometers that may be thousands of meters thick, and that is not confined by surrounding topography

A

Continental glacier:

69
Q

the process that causes the ice at the base of a glacier to melt and the glacier to slide

A

Basal slip

70
Q

the process by which glaciers flow slowly as grains of ice deform under pressure and slide over each other

A

Internal Plastic Flow

71
Q

in a glacier, a large crack or fissure that results from ice movement

A

Crevasse

72
Q

parts of ice sheets that may move out over the ocean as a continental glacier moves outward/expands

A

Ice shelves

73
Q

large blocks of ice that may break from the ice shelves and drift into the ocean.

A

Icebergs

74
Q

a deep and steep bowl-like depression produced by glacial erosion

A

Cirque

75
Q

a sharp, jagged ridge that forms between cirques

A

Arete

76
Q

large rock transported from a distant source by a glacier

A

Erratics

77
Q

rock material carried and deposited by glaciers

A

Glacial drift

78
Q

unsorted rock material that is deposited directly by a melting glacier

A

Till

79
Q

a landform that is made from unsorted sediments deposited by a glacier

A

Moraines

80
Q

a deposit of stratified drift that lies in from of a terminal moraine and is crossed by many meltwater streams

A

Outwash plains

81
Q

a bowl-shaped depression in a glacial drift deposit

A

Kettles

82
Q

a long, winding ridge of gravel and coarse sand deposited by glacial meltwater streams

A

Esker

83
Q

Milankovitch Theory

A

the theory that cyclical changes in Earth’s orbit and in the tilt of Earth’s axis occur over thousands of years and cause climatic changes

84
Q

3 periodic changes that occur:

A

Eccentricity: changes in the orbital shape
Tilt: variations in the tilt of the Earth
Precession: a gradual change, wobble, in the orientation of Earth’s axis

85
Q

a form of wind erosion in which fine, dry soil particles are blown away

A

Deflation

86
Q

any rock that is pitted, grooved, or polished by wind abrasion

A

Ventifact

87
Q

fine-grained sediments of quartz, feldspar, hornblende, mica, and clay deposited by the wind

A

Loess

88
Q

flattened features created due to erosion or deposition of waves

A

Terraces

89
Q

what creates longshore currents

A

Waves moving at a shallow angle to the shoreline

90
Q

a water current that travels near and parallel to the shoreline

A

Longshore current

91
Q

forms when sea level rises or when the land sinks

A

Submergent Coastlines

92
Q

when the land rises or when sea level falls

A

Emergent Coastlines

93
Q

a long ridge of sand or narrow island that lies parallel to the shore; formed when sea level rises over a flat coastal plain

A

Barrier Islands

Geology (6 decks)

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