weathering erosion and soils Flashcards
weathering
the breaking down of rocks.
erosion
moves these particles
deposition
places these particles somewhere else as sedements
chemical weathering
breaks down rocks through chemical changes
mechanical weathering
any process that uses mechanical forces to make big rocks into little ones aids in weathering processes.
frost wedging
when water freezes in cracks in things and separates it.
biological weathering
results from the mechanical action of plants and animals in rocks.
mass waste
when rocks and soil move by gravity alone.
saltation
larger sedement particleshop repeatedly over the stream bottom as they are carried along the flow.
sorting
pattern of sedimentation.
deltas
where a stream enters a large body of water like an ocean or large lake and the waters speed slows to a near standstill.
alluvial fans
where intermitted streams in dry, mountinous areas empty into a flat desert.
deflation
the process of forming desert pavements by wind erosion.
abrasion
like sand blasting
ventifacts
rocks in unusual shaped from abrasion.
dunes
wind driven sand
glacier
a large mass of dense ice that flows under the influence of gravity.
valley glaciers
glaciers high in the mountains.
cirques
bowl like depressions nestled in among the peaks.
tarns
small lakes that form in cirques
aretes
narrow, steep sided ridges.
fjord
glacial valley
glacial drift
deposits of sedements from glaciers.
morains
tall deposits of dirt and pebels that the glacier moves.
drumlins
long streamlined hills rising rising from ground morains composed of glacier till.
eskers
long, winding ridges of well-sorted, stratified sedements apparently deposited by melt-water streams flowing under a glacier.
kames
steep sided hills much like escars but shorter.
pedologists
scientists who study soils, soil formation, and erosion.
soil
layered formation at the surface of the earth made of inorganic earth materials combined with organic substances.
horizons
layers soil is divided up into.
humus
found in A-horizon decayed or organic material that provides many nutrients for plants and helps soil hold water.
loam
an especially fertile topsoil, contains about equal parts of sand and silt and about half as much clay
