Weathering and Weather Processes Flashcards
What is the rock cycle?
The process between changes of rock types (metamorphic, sedimentary, igneous)
What is sedimentary?
(of a rock) created from compressed sediments
What is mechanical weathering?
Weathering created by rubbing, chaffing, or other erosion processes created by movement
What is chemical weathering?
Weathering created by chemical reactions
What is condensation?
The process in which gasses become a solid (usually about water vapor forming clouds)
What is erosion?
The gradual diminution of something and the process of thereof
What is meander?
(usually of a river or road) with multiple curves and on a winding course
What is a meandering river?
A river that has multiple curves and bends in its path
What is frost wedging?
A process of erosion. Water enters cracks (usually by means of precipitation), freezes, and leaves a bigger cracks. The process repeats.
What is an oxbow lake?
A lake formed when the processes of erosion close off the outside edges of a meandering river to form a horseshoe-shaped lake.
What is an aquifer?
An underground layer of permeable rock that can store water. Often used to extract water for wells.
What is precipitation?
Part of the water cycle. When water droplets become heavy enough in clouds, they fall back down to the surface of the planet in the form of precipitation.
Define permeable.
Allowing seepage; can’t retain water
Define impermeable.
Allowing smaller portions of seepage; can retain water
What is porosity?
Denoting something with a lot of holes. Usually allow flow. The ratio of the volume of an intrusive material to the volume of the base material
Define clastic.
Of rocks formed from parts of older rocks
What is texture?
The way a material is put together that forms a certain way a material feels or is shaped.
What is an aquitard?
A poorly permeable layer of rock that allows flow of groundwater between aquifers
What is root wedging?
A process of erosion. Roots of trees enter cracks in rocks. As the roots become thicker and longer, they break apart the rock further and further
Define detrital.
The debris caused by erosion
What is evaporation?
Part of the water process. When water is heated up to the point it transfers into a gas
What is run-off?
The flow of excess water from rainwater, meltwater, etc
What is a zone of aeration?
Where gaps in soil and rocks are filled with both water and air
What is a water table?
The area between the zone of aeriation and the zone of saturation
What is a zone of saturation?
Where gaps in soil and rocks are completely filled with water
What is transpiration?
The process of water from plants transforming into gas form (vapor)
What is infiltration?
The process in which water on the ground surface enters the soil
What is flooding?
The process of something being consumed by water
How are sedimentary rocks formed?
Sedimentary rocks are formed when sediment is compressed to form a rock
What is the water cycle?
collection > evaporation or transpiration > condensation > precipitation > surface runoff > groundwater > percolation > collection
What is the difference between nonpoint-source and point-source pollution?
Point-sources are sources of pollution that can easily be traced back to its source. Nonpoint-sources are sources of pollution that can’t be easily traced back.
