Weathering, Mass Wasting & Erosion

These flashcards cover key concepts and important definitions related to weathering, mass wasting, erosion, groundwater, and oceanography, which are critical for understanding landscape evolution.

What is mechanical weathering?

It is the disintegration of rocks into smaller pieces without changing their chemical composition.

What common processes contribute to mechanical weathering?

Frost wedging, root wedging, and thermal expansion.

Which type of rock weathers chemically faster: limestone or granite?

Limestone, because it is primarily composed of calcite which is more susceptible to chemical weathering.

What is the primary driver of mass wasting?

The pull of gravity, causing material to move down a slope.

Name a type of mass wasting that involves cohesive movement of large amounts of material.

Slides.

What happens to river velocity when base level is lowered?

The river's velocity increases, leading to deeper erosion of its channel.

What effect does raising the base level of a river have on sediment deposition?

The river's velocity decreases, causing it to deposit sediment in its channel.

What are two significant properties of rocks that affect groundwater accumulation?

Porosity and permeability.

What is an aquifer?

A material with high porosity and permeability that allows water to pass through easily.

What characterizes a wetland?

An area that is flooded or has saturated soil for a significant amount of time during the growing season.

What are the primary types of wetlands?

Bogs, fens, marshes, swamps, and bayous.

Why were many wetlands drained in Ohio after the Civil War?

To reduce the prevalence of biting insects and improve land for construction.

What factors can lead to changing sea levels?

Global climate changes and the rate of plate tectonics.

What is the continental shelf?

The shallowest part of the continental margin, submerged continental crust covered in sediment.

What is a seamount?

An underwater volcanic mountain that forms at hot spots or divergent plate boundaries.

What is an abyssal plain?

A flat area of the ocean floor, usually far from tectonic activity and covered in sediment.

What marks the location of oceanic trenches?

They indicate ocean-ocean and ocean-continent convergent plate boundaries.