Unit 8B Flashcards
Physical weathering AKA mechanical weathering
Breakdown of rock into smaller pieces by physical changes
Weathering
Process of breaking down rocks into tiny particles called sediments
Ice wedging or frost wedging
When water expands as it freezes in cracks and then thaws
Temperature changes
When rocks are heated by day and cooled by night
Root wedging
When roots of plants break up the earth
Exfoliation
When outer surface of rock peals due to pressure
Abrasion
Grinding and wearing down of rock by other rock or sand particles
Chemical weathering
The chemical breakdown of rocks and minerals into new substances
Water
Dissolves rocks in 1000s of years
Acid precipitation
High acid contents in rain,sleet,or snow as a result of burning fossil fuels
Human activities
Burning of fossil fuels, produces sulfur,carbon and nitrogen oxides which fall back into ground as rain/snow
Oxidation
Iron and oxygen form rust
Differential weathering
Softer, less weather resistant rocks wear away leaving behind harder more resistant rocks
Climate
Oxidation happens more often in warm, humid climates
Elevation
There is more exposure to wind, rain, and ice at higher elevations
What does WED stand for
Weathering, erosion, deposition
Erosion
The process of moving sediment from one place to another
Deposition
The process of dropping or depositing eroded materials/sediment in new locations
Delta
Deposition occurs when water slows down and materials are deposited along the stream/River bank,bed,or at the mouth forming a delta
Alluvial fan
Forms as a fan shaped deposit on dryland
Gradient
The measure of change in elevation over a certain distance
Load
Materials carried by the stream
Dunes of generally move in the same direction that the
When the wind is blowing,so a dunes slope side faces the wind
Ecoregion
An ecosystem that covers a large area where the climate, organisms,and the soil are similar
