Weathering and Erosion Flashcards
Mechanical/Physical Weathering
Mechanical/Physical weathering is the process that breaks rocks into smaller pieces
Chemical Weathering
“Chemical weathering occurs when water dissolves minerals in a rock, producing new compounds”
Differential Weathering
“The difference in the degree of discoloration, disintegration, etc., of rocks of different kinds exposed to the same environment.”
Erosion
Erosion is the process by which materials are transported by wind or water
Deposition
“The process of dropping sediment by water or wind.”
Ice/Frost Wedging
This is a form of physical weathering that occurs when something freezes repeatedly.
Alpine/Valley Glacier
“Alpine glaciers begin high up in the mountains in bowl-shaped hollows called cirques.”
Continental Glacier
A big mass of ice that is bigger than an Alpine Glacier
Abrasion
The process of something wearing away
Saltation
“Saltation is a specific type of particle transport by fluids such as wind or water”
River Erosion
This is the wearing away of a riverbed
Beach Erosion
This is the wearing away of a beach
Desert Erosion
The wearing away of desert rocks by wind
Exfoliation/ Thermal Expansion
The separation of thin shells of rock
Glacial Erosion
The wearing away of glaciers
Plant weathering
“Plants can cause physical weathering as their roots grow. Seeds of plants or trees can grow inside rock cracks where the soil has collected.”
Animal Physical Weathering
“Animals that burrow underground, such as moles, gophers or even ants, can also cause physical weathering by loosening and breaking apart rocks.”
Acid Precipitation
Precipitation that includes any form of acid
Carbonation
The chemical reaction of carbon dioxide
Oxidation/Rust
“It turns out what we call rust is a chemical process that combines iron (Fe) and oxygen (O) to form iron oxide.”
Landslide/Slump
“Slumping is a mass wasting event that happens because loose materials or layers of rock move a short distance down the slope.”
Lahar
Mudflow that occurs on the slopes of a volcano
Rock Fall
This is when a large amount of rocks fall from a cliff
Avalanche
When a large amount of snow and frozen slow falls from a mountain slope
Creep
“Downslope movement of particles that occurs on every slope covered with loose, weathered material.”
Moraine/Till
This is just simply glacier debris
Stratified Drift
“Drift composed of material deposited by a meltwater stream or settled from suspension.”
Loess
“A mineral deposit as either a sediment, soil, or rock.”
Illuviation
“The introduction of salts or colloids into one soil horizon from another”
Eluviation
“Removal of dissolved or suspended material from a layer or layers of the soil by the movement of water when rainfall exceeds evaporation.”
