Weathering, Erosion, & Deposition

Question 1

Weathering

Answer 1

The breakdown of rocks at Earth’s surface through physical, chemical, or biological processes

Question 2

Denudation

Answer 2

The overall process of wearing down and removing rock material, including weathering, mass wasting, and erosion

Question 3

Mechanical Weathering

Answer 3

The physical breakdown of rocks without changing their chemical composition
Ex: Ice wedging, abrasion, exfoliation

Question 4

Ice Wedging (Freeze-Thaw Weathering)

Answer 4

Water seeps into cracks, freezes, expands, and breaks the rock apart

Question 5

Abrasion

Answer 5

The grinding away of rock by friction and impact, often due to wind, water, or ice carrying particles

Question 6

Chemical Weathering

Answer 6

The decomposition of rock due to chemical reactions
Ex: Oxidation, hydrolysis, carbonation

Question 7

Hydrolysis

Answer 7

A chemical reaction involving water that alters the mineral composition of rocks
Ex: Feldspar in granite transforming into clay

Question 8

Mass Wasting (Mass Movement or Landslides)

Answer 8

The downward movement of rock and soil due to gravity

Question 9

Rock Fall

Answer 9

A rapid, free-falling movement of rock from a steep slope

Question 10

Talus

Answer 10

A pile of rock fragments at the base of a cliff due to rock falls

Question 11

Rotational Slide

Answer 11

A type of landslide where material moves along a curved surface

Question 12

Translational Slide

Answer 12

A landslide where material moves along a flat surface

Question 13

Debris Flows

Answer 13

A fast-moving mass of water-saturated rock, soil, and debris

Question 14

Lahars

Answer 14

A volcanic mudflow composed of ash, debris, and water

Question 15

Subsidence

Answer 15

The sinking of land due to underground material movement

Question 16

Slow Subsidence

Answer 16

Gradual sinking of land, often due to groundwater withdrawl

Question 17

Fast Subsidence

Answer 17

Sudden collapse of land, often forming sinkholes

Question 18

Streams

Answer 18

Flowing bodies of water that shape landscapes through erosion and deposition

Question 19

Dissolved Load

Answer 19

Minerals dissolved in water and carried in solution

Question 20

Suspended Load

Answer 20

Small particles, like silt and clay, carried in the water column

Question 21

Bed Load

Answer 21

Larger particles that roll, slide, or bounce along the bottom of a stream

Question 22

Saltation

Answer 22

The process where particles move in short leaps along a surface

Question 23

Meanders

Answer 23

Curved bends in a river that form due to water flow dynamics

Question 24

Base Level

Answer 24

The lowest point to which a river can erode, often sea level

Question 25

Delta

Answer 25

A landform at a river's mouth where sediment is deposited

Question 26

Alluvial Fan

Answer 26

A fan-shaped deposit of sediment at the base of mountain slopes

Question 27

Ground Water

Answer 27

Water stored beneath Earth's surface in soil and rock formations

Question 28

Stalagmites

Answer 28

Upward-growing mineral formations from cave floors

Question 29

Stalactites

Answer 29

Hanging mineral formations from cave ceilings

Question 30

Column

Answer 30

A cave formation where stalactites and stalagmites meet

Question 31

Sinkhole

Answer 31

A depression formed when the ground collapses due to dissolved limestone

Question 32

Waves

Answer 32

Ocean energy that erodes and deposits coastal features

Question 33

Refraction

Answer 33

The bending of waves as they approach shorelines

Question 34

Tombolo

Answer 34

A sand or sediment bar connecting an island to the mainland

Question 35

Ventifacts

Answer 35

Wind-shaped rocks found in deserts

Question 36

Desert Varnish

Answer 36

A dark coating on rocks due to chemical weathering in arid regions

Question 37

Beach Dunes

Answer 37

Sand dunes formed by wind deposition along coastlines

Question 38

Dune Sands

Answer 38

Wind-transported sand forming dunes

Question 39

Loess

Answer 39

Fine, wind-blown silt and clay deposits

Question 40

Glaciers

Answer 40

Large masses of moving ice that shape landscapes

Question 41

Snowball Theory

Answer 41

The hypothesis that Earth was once completely covered in ice

Question 42

Continental Glaciers

Answer 42

Large ice sheets covering vast land areas

Question 43

Alpine (Valley) Glaicers

Answer 43

Glaciers confined to mountain valleys

Question 44

Cirque

Answer 44

A bowl-shaped depression formed by glacier erosion

Question 45

Tributary Glaciers

Answer 45

Smaller glaciers that feed into larger glaciers

Question 46

Glacial Erratics

Answer 46

Large boulders transported by glaciers

Question 47

Glacial Till

Answer 47

Unsorted sediment deposited by glaciers

Question 48

Moraines

Answer 48

Accumulations of glacial debris

Question 49

Lateral Moraines

Answer 49

Ridges of debris along the sides of glaciers

Question 50

Medial Moraines

Answer 50

Ridges formed where two glaciers merge

Question 51

Terminal Moraines

Answer 51

The furthest point of glacial advance

Question 52

End Moraines

Answer 52

Ridges marking the retreat of glaciers

Question 53

Varves

Answer 53

Layers of sediment deposited annually into glacial lakes