Week 1- Exogenic Processes Flashcards
Processes that shape the land by forces coming from within the earth
Endogenic Processes
Processes that shape the land by forces coming from within the earth
Exogenic Processes
The on-site breakdown of rock and its eventual transformation into sediments
Weathering
The physical breakdown of a rock into unconnected grains or chunks without changing its composition
Mechanical Weathering
The breakdown of the outer part of the rock is caused by uplifting and temperature.
Exfoliation (Mechanical Weathering)
This type of mechanical weathering splits rocks into onion-like sheets parallel to the surface.
Exfoliation (Mechanical Weathering)
The regular freezing of water inside the fractures of rocks. When it freezes, it causes the joints to expand and grow until it breaks.
Frost Wedging (Mechanical Weathering)
When plant roots force their way into the cracks of rocks, as they grow, they exert forces, widening and breaking the cracks.
Root Wedging (Mechanical Weathering)
In deserts and along coastal areas, salt solutions from groundwater or from sea spray can accumulate in the pore spaces or fractures of the rocks.
Salt Wedging (Mechanical Weathering)
When a rock is exposed to high temperatures, such as a forest fire, its outer layer expands due to baking. When it cools, the outer layer contracts, causing it to break.
Thermal Expansion (Mechanical Weathering)
It occurs when there are chemical changes in at least some of the composition of the rock.
Chemical Weathering
An icicle-shaped formation that hangs and forms from the ceiling of a cave.
Stalactite
An upward-growing mound of mineral deposits that have precipitated from water dripping onto the floor of a cave
Stalagmite
Weathering where minerals are dissolved in water
Dissolution
Chemical changes occur through the universal solvent, which is what?
Water
