3.13.12 ISSUE 11: SCIENCE TEST!!! Made by Em Liz, Miyu, Kathy
Weathering: The natural process by which atmospheric and environmental agents, such as wind, rain, and temperature changes, disintegrate and decompose rocks.
Mechanical/Physical Weathering: The process by which rocks break down into smaller pieces by physical means.
Ice Wedging: A type of mechanical weathering that occur when water seeps into cracks in rock and then freezes. When the water freezes, its volume increases by about 10% and creates pressure on the surrounding rock. this process widens and deepens the cracks in the rock and eventually splits the rock apart.
Abrasion: The grinding and weathering away of rock surfaces through the mechanical action of other rock or sand particles.
Organic Activity: As plants grow, the roots grow and expand to create pressure that wedges rock apart. When roots of large plants can fit in the cracks they make the cracks bigger. The digging activities of burrowing animals move soil and expose new rock surfaces to both mechanical and chemical weathering .
Chemical Weathering: the process by which rocks break down as a result of chemical reactions.
Oxidation: A reaction that removes one or more electrons from a substance such that the substance’s valence or oxidation state increases.
Hydrolysis: A chemical reaction between water and another substance to form two or more new substances .
Carbonation: The conversion of a compound into a carbonate.
Organic Acids: Acids that are produced naturally by certain living organisms .
Acid Precipitation: Precipitation that contains a high concentration of acids, often because of the pollution of the atmosphere.
Differential Weathering: the process by which softer, less weather resistant rocks wear away at a faster rate than harder, more weather resistance rocks do
- The more exposure, or surface area, of a rock that receives the effect of weathering agents the faster the rock will weather
- Fractures and Joints increase the surface area of a rock and allow weathering to take place more rapidly
- In general climates that have alternating periods of hot and cold weather allow the fastest rates of weathering. When temperatures rise, the rate at which chemical reactions occur also accelerates. In warm, humid climates chemical weathering is fairly rapid. The slowest rates of weathering occur in hot dry climates , the lack of water limits many weathering processes.
- Topography, or the elevation and slope of the land surface, also influences the rate of weathering. Since temperatures are generally cold at high elevations. On steep slopes, such as mountainsides, weathered rock fragments are pulled downhill by gravity and washed out by heavy rains. As the rocks slide down the mountain or are carried away by mountain streams, rocks smash against each other and break apart.
Soil: A loose mixture of rock fragments and organic material that can support the growth of vegetation
Soil Profile: A vertical section of soil that shows the layers of horizon
Horizon: A horizontal layer of soil that can be distinguished from the layers above and below it, also a boundary between two rock layers that have different physical properties
- The A horizon, or topsoil, is a mixture of organic materials and small rock particles. Almost all organisms that live in soil inhabit the A horizon
- The B horizon, or subsoil, contains the minerals leached from the topsoil, clay, and sometimes, humus
- The C horizon consists of partially-weathered bedrock. The first stages of mechanical and chemical change happen in this bottom layer
- Climate determines the weathering processes that occur in the region. These weathering processes, in turn, help determine the composition of soil
- In humid tropical climates there is thick soil that develops rapidly. this thick soil contains iron and aluminum minerals that do not dissolve easily in water
Topsoil:Organic Matter, Living Organisms, and rock particles
Zone of Leaching: Dissolved or suspended material moving downwards
Subsoil: Larger rock particles with organic matter, living organisms, and rock particles
Rock Particles:Rocks that have undergone weathering
Bedrock: Solid rock layer
Erosion: A process in which the materials of earth’s surface are loosened, dissolved, or worn away and transported from one place to another by a natural agent, such as wind, water, ice, or gravity
Sheet Erosion: The process by which water flows over a layer of soil and removes the topsoil
Gullying:Accelerated Soil Erosion
Mass Movement: The Movement of a large mass of sediment or a section of land down a slope
Contour Plowing: Soil is plowed in curved bands that follow the shape of the land
Strip-Cropping: Crops planted in alternating bands
Cover Crop: Slows the runoff of the water to protect the soil
Terracing: Construction of step-like ridges that follows the contours of a sloped field
Crop-Rotation: Farmers plant one type of Crop one year, and a different one the next
Solifluction: The slow, downslope flow of soil saturated with water in areas surrounding glaciers at high elevations
Creep: The slow downhill movement of weathered rock material
Landform: A physical feature of Earth’s surface
Water cycle: the continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, that land, and the ocean
Evapotranspiration: The total loss of water from an area, which equals the sum of water lost by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and the water lost by transpiration from organisms.
Condensation: the change of state from a gas to a liquid
Precipitation: Any form of water that falls to earth’s surface from the clouds(aderf)
- Water Budget is the continuous cycle of evapotranspiration, condensation, and precipitation. In Earth’s water budget, precipitation is the income. Evapotranspiration and runoff are the expenses.
Rockfall: The falling of rock from a steep cliff. Fastest kind of Mass Movement
Land Slides: Mass of Loose Rocks combine with soil suddenly fall down a slope
Mudflow: A rapid movement of a large amount of mud creates a landslide
Slump: The block of soil and rock become unstable and move downhill in one piece. This usually occurs in dry regions during sudden, heavy rainfall, or a result of an volcanic eruption
Talus: Rock fragment accumulated at the base of a slope, forming piles
Peneplains: Almost Flat
Plain: A relatively flat land near sea level
Plateau: A broad, flat land form that has a high elevation. More erosion than a plain
Mesa: Erosion may dissect plateau into tables-sized formations
Buttes: Mesas erode smaller to small narrow-top formations
Tributaries: All the feeder streams that flow into the main stream
Watershed: The land from which water runs off into the main stream
Divides: The ridges or elevated regions that separate water sheds
Channel: A relatively narrow depression that a stream follows as it flow downhills
Banks: The edges of a stream depression that are above water level
Bed: The part of a stream channel that is below water level
Headward Erosion: Channels lengthen and branch out to their upper ends
Delta: A fan-shaped mass of rock material deposited aat the mouth of a stream
Alluvial Fan: A fan-shaped mass of rock material deposited by a stream when the slope of the land decreases sharply
Stream Piracy: A stream from one watershed is captured by a stream from another watershed that has a higher rate of erosion
Stream Load: The materials other than the water that are carried by a stream
Discharge: the volume of water that flows within a given time
Gradient: The change in elevation over a given distance
Suspended Load: Particles of Fine sand and silt
Bed Load: Larger Coarser Matericals, such as coarse sand, gravel, and pebbles
Meander: One of the bends, twists, or curves in a low-gradient strema or river
Braided Stream: A stream or river that is composed of multiple channels that divide and rejoin around sediment bars
Natural Leeves: The accumulation of these deposit along the banks eventually produces raised banks
Dams: The most common method of direct flood control
Sorting: The amount of uniformity in the size of rock or sediment particles, making the rock less porous
Flood Plain: An area along a river that forms from sediments deposited when the river overflows its banks
Groundwater: The water that is beneath Earth’s surface
Aquifer: A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater
Porosity: The percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces
Permeability: The ability of a rock or sediment to let fluids pass through its open spaces, or pores
Impermeable: when water cannot flow through it
Water Table: The upper surface of underground water; the upper boundary of the zone of saturation
Zone of Saturation: The layer of aquifer in which the pore space is completely filled with water
Zone of Aeration: The zone that lies between the water table and Earth’s surface
Capillary Action: Caused by the attraction of water molecules to other materials, such as soil
Artesian Formation: A sloping layer of perneable rock sandwiched between two layers of impermeable rock and exposed at the surface
Cavern: A natural cavity that forms in rock as a result of the dissolution of minerals; also a large cave that commonly contains many smaller, connecting chambers
Gradient: Steepness of the slope
Recharge Zone: Anywhere that water from the surface can travel through permeable rock
Well: A hole that is dug to below the level of the water table and through which groundwater is brought to the surface of Earth
Spring:A natural flow of ground water is brought to Earth’s surface
Sinkhole: a circular depression that forms when rock dissolves, when overlying sediment fills an existing cavity, or when the roof of an underground cavern or mine collapses
Karst Topography: A type of irregular topography that is characterized by caverns, sinkholes, and underground drainage and that forms on the limestone or other soluble rock
Ordinary Wells: Penetrate highly permeable sediment or rock below the water table.
Cone of Depression: Formed when pumping water from a well lowers the water table around the well
Ordinary Springs: Found in rugged terrain where the ground surface drops below the water table
Caprock: the top layer of impermeable rockArtesian Well: A well through which water flows freely without being pumped.
Artesian Springs: The flow made when water from the aquifier flows through cracks in the caprock
Hot Springs: Hot groundwater that is at least 37 C and rises to the surface before cooling
Travertine: Steplike terraces of calcite formed by deposits of minerals around the spring’s edges.
Mud Pots: A sticky, liquid clay which bubbles at the surface that forms when chemically weathered rock mixes with hot water
Paint Pots: Mud pots made by brightly colored minerals or organic materials in clay
Geysers: Hot springs that periodically erupt from surface pools or through small vents
Hard Water: Water that contains relatively high concentrations of dissolved minerals, especially minerals rich in calcium, magnesium, and iron
Soft Water: Water that contains relatively low concentrations of dissolved minerals
Cavern: A large cave that may consist of many smaller connecting chambers
Stalactite: A suspended, cone-shaped deposit formed by built-up calcite
Stalagmite: An upward-facing cone formed by built-up calcite when drops of water fall on the cavern floor
Column: A calcite deposit formed when a stalactite and a stalagmite grow and meet
Subsidence Sinkholes: Formed similarly to sinkholes, except as rock dissolves, overlying sediments settle into cracks in the rock and a depression forms
Collapse Sinkholes: Form when sediment below the surface is removed and an empty space forms within the sediment layer
Natural Bridge: An arch of rock formed by uncollapsed rock between each pair of sinkholes
Glacier: A large mass of moving ice
Snowfield: An almost motionless mass of permanent snow and ice, usually at high elevations or polar regions
Firn: Grainy ice made when snow is changed by cycles of partial melting and refreezing
Alpine Glacier: A narrow, wedge-shaped mass of ice that forms in a mountainous region and that is confined to a small area by surrounding topography
Continental Glaciers (Ice Sheets): massive sheets of ice that may cover millions of square kilometers, that ma be thousands of meters thick, and that are not confined by surrounding topography
Basal Slip: The process that causes the ice at the base of a glacier to melt and the glacier to slide
Internal Plastic Flow: The process by which glaciers flow slowly as grains of ice deform under pressure and slide over each other
(Fastest rate of flow is the center, near its surface.)
Crevasses: In a glacier, a large crack or fissure that results from ice movement
Ice shelves: Formed when parts of ice sheets move out over the ocean
Icebergs: Large blocks of ice broken off from ice shelves and drifting into the ocean
Cirque: A deep and steep bowl-like depression produced by glacial erosion
Arête: A sharp, jagged ridge that forms between cirques
Horn: A sharp, pyramid-like peak that forms because of the erosion of cirques
Rounded knobs of rock resulting when rocks are pulled away as ice passes
Hanging Valley: The tributary valley suspended high above the valley floor when ice melts
(A stream forms a V-shaped valley. When a glacier scrapes away the walls and floors, the V-shape becomes a U-shape.)
A large rock transported from a distant source by a glacier
Glacial Drift: Rock material carried and deposited by glaciers
Till: Unsorted rock material that is deposited directly by a melting glacier
Stratified Drift: Material that has been sorted and deposited in layers by streams flowing from the melted ice
Meltwater: Water resulting from melted ice
Moraine: A landform that is made from unsorted sediments deposited by a glacier
Lateral Moraine: A moraine that is deposited along the sides of an alpine glacier, usually as a long ridge
Medial Moraine: Combined adjacent lateral moraines that occur when two or more alpine glaciers join
Ground Moraine: The unsorted material left beneath the glacier when the ice melts
Drumlins: Long, low, tear-shaped mounds of till
Terminal Moraines: Small ridges of till that are deposited at the leading edge of a melting glacier
Outwash Plain: A deposit of stratified drift that lies in front of a terminal moraine and is crossed by many meltwater streams
Kettles: A bowl-like depression in a glacial drift deposit
Esker: A long, winding ridge of gravel and coarse sand deposited by glacial meltwater streams
Finger Lakes: Forms where terminal and lateral moraines block existing streams
Ice Age: A long period of climatic cooling during which the continents are glaciated repeatedly
Glacial Period: A period of cooler climate that is characterized by the advancement of glaciers
Interglacial Period: A period of warmer climate that is characterized by the retreat of glaciers
Milankovitch Theory: The theory that cyclical changes in Earth’s orbit and in the tilt of Earth’s axis occur over thousands of years and cause climatic changes
Saltation: The movement of sand or other sediments by short jumps and bounces that is caused by wind or water
Deflation: A form of wind erosion in which fine, dry soil particles are blown away
Desert Pavement (Stone Pavement): A surface of closely packed small rocks formed by rock particles remaining from deflation
Deflation Hollow: A shallow depression that forms when wind strips off the topsoil
Ventifact: Any rock that is pitted, grooved, or polished by wind abrasion
Dune: A mound of wind-deposited sand that moves as a result of the action of wind
Slipface: The opposite side of the crest of the dune, which has a steeper slope than the windward side does
Barchan Dunes: Crescent-shaped dunes that have an open side facing away from the wind
Parabolic Dune: A crescent-shaped dune whose open side faces into the wind
Transverse Dunes: A series of ridges of sand that may form in long, wavelike patterns and form a right angle to the wind direction
Longitudinal Dune: A dune that also forms in the shape of a ridge, but lie parallel to the direction the wind blows
Dune Migration: The movement of dunes. (If the wind usually blows in the same direction, dunes will move downwind.)
Loess: Fine-grained sediments of quartz, feldspar, hornblende, mica, and clay deposited by the wind
Headland: A high and steep formation of rock that extends out from shore into the water
Sea Cliff: Forms when waves erode the base of a rock until the rock collapses to form a steep slope
Bays: Areas that have less resistant rock
Sea Cave: Formed when waves cut deep into fractured and weak rock, and forms a large hole.
Sea Arch: When waves cut completely through a headland
Pressure: The resultant expansion and release of stress cause the rocks to develop large cracks or joints, at weak points in their structure
Parental Material: Rocks from which soil forms
Residue Soil: Soil that forms directly from the bedrock beneath it the location by erosion
Mature Soil: Soil that has been forming long enough to have developed distinct horizon
Immature Soil: Horizons are indistinct or altogether lacking
Pedalfer: Rich in aluminium and iron compounds produced when water and oxygen react with common rock forming minerals, and soluble calcium compound are washed away by successive rainfall
Gravity-> primary driving force of erosion
Agent of Erosion: Gravity can move sediments by acting on them indirectly
Erosional System-> natural conveyor belts, moving sediments form higher to lower
Mass Wasting: the downhill movement of sediments under the direct influence of gravity
Angle of Repose: Steepest slope angle at which particular sediment remain stable
Mouth: Point which stream enter the bodies of water
Traction: The force of flowing water in a stream can push or drag large particles downhill by rolling or slidding in a motion
Upwelling: As cold water moves towards the Equator, it displaces warmer water upward
Trade Wind: Winds near Equator
Equatorial Currents: Trade Winds from Westward-moving currents
Gyre: Large Circular Pattern of Motion
Long Shore Currents: Movement of water parallel to the beach
Swells: Waves with smoothly rounded crest and trough
Surf: Near Shore when waves breaks
Wave-Cut Notch: Undercuts a slope
Oasis: A patch of vegetation surrouneded by arid wasteland.
Desert Pavement: A continous larger of pebbles, gravel, and other coarse particles.
Granular Snow: Smaller and Rounder, denser than ice crystals
Firn: Densers than Granular Snow
Plucking: Process by which rock fragments are loosened, picker up, carried away by glaciers
Glacially Polished: Smooth Rock surfaces produced by this type of abrasion
Glacial Striation: Small Scratches in the surface of a bedrock
Graded Bedding: Rapid Deposition
*Oxbow Lake:The water erodes the land on the outside shore of the meander. Eventually it cuts all the way across the meander. and initially forms an island where the middle of the meander used to be, and the old channel now becomes a side channel. Eventually the side channel silts up, forming a U shaped lake. With time the, lake also silts up.
Leeve: A low, thick, ridge-like deposit
Berms: flat areas formed by wave action
Beaches:Deposit of sediments along the shoreline of a body of water
Spits: Most bars formed in this way are attached to one end of main land.
Tombolos: Sandbars connect an island to the mainland
Sandbars: A long, narrow, pile of sand deposited in open water
Barrier Bars: Wave deposit enough sand-> above water-> large> above sea leve,
Tidal Marshed: Completely block off a bay
Barrier Island: Broken here and there by tidal inlets elongated
Lagoons: the calm protected bodies of water between barrier bars and the mainland
Medium: the substance that carries sediment.
Sorting: The separation of particles during deposition
Earthflow:A rapid type of downslope mass movement that involves soil and other loose sediments. Usually triggered by water saturation from rainfall.
Soil Creep: The slowest form of mass movement. The soil expands and moves downhill due to gravity.
Slip-Face: Steep, Leeward side of dune
Outwash Plain: Numerous streams spread out over the land and deposit glacial material in a wide sheet
Varve: Pair of layers known as
Glacial Till: Material deposited directly from ice
Kettle Lake: A kettle may later fill with glacial meltwater, rainwater, or groundwater
Relief: A physical shape or general uneveness of a part of Earth’s surface, such as variation in slope
Topography: The geologic process that creates all the features of land
Stream Pattern: Refer to the pattern formed by the system of streams
Drainage Basin: The area from which precipitation drains into the stream or system of stream
Stream Drainage System: All of the streams in an area and their tributaries
Soil Association: groups of 2 or more soils, occuring together in a characteristic pattern in a given geographical area.
Physio graphic Provinces: Regions with similar landscape regions
Sea stacks: offshore columns of rock that once were connected to a sea cliff or head land
Wave-cut Terrace: as a sea cliff is worn, a nearly level platform usually remains beneath the water at the base of the cliff.
Wave-Built Terrace: Eroded material may be deposited offshore to create an extension to the wave-cut terrace
Longshore Current: a water current that travels near and parallel to the shoreline
Spit: A long, narrow deposit of sand connected at one end to the shore
Tombolos: beach deposits may also connect an offshore island to the mainland.
Estuary: An area where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean; the part of the river where the tides meet the river current.
Submergent coastline: when sea level rises or when land sinks a submergent coastline forms
Fiords: When u-shaped glacial valleys become flooded with ocean water as sea level rises, spectacular narrow, deep bays that have steep walls
Emergent Coastline: When the land rises or when sea level falls
Well... sorry kinda late but~
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