Geological Processes and Weathering

Flashcards covering key geological concepts, types of weathering, and glacier-related terms.

Monoclines

Bends or kinks in rock layers.

Plunging Folds

Folds that dive into the Earth with a tilted fold axis.

Recumbent Fold

Folds lying on their sides.

Overturned Fold

An upside-down fold where one or both limbs are upside-down.

Faults

Fractures in rocks along which there has been differential displacement.

Joints

Fractures in rocks along which there has been no differential displacement.

Hanging Wall

Block of rock above the fault.

Footwall

Block of rock below the fault.

Dip-Slip Faults

Faults with up and down movement.

Normal Fault

A fault where the hanging wall moves down and the footwall moves up.

Reverse Fault

A fault where the hanging wall moves up and the footwall moves down.

Thrust Fault

A low-angle reverse fault.

Strike-Slip Fault

Faults where the hanging wall and footwall move side-to-side.

Dome

A large, regional upwarped geological feature.

Basin

A large, regional downwarped geological feature.

Weathering

The loosening and alteration of grains in rocks at the Earth's surface.

Erosion

The physical removal of grains and rock debris.

Transportation

Movement of grains and rock debris by wind, water, ice, or gravity.

Spheroidal Weathering

Rounding of rock masses from an initial blocky shape.

Differential Weathering

Different rock types weather at different rates.

Honeycomb Weathering

Formation of numerous irregularly-shaped pits.

Cavernous Weathering

Makes cavities large enough for a person.

Castellate Weathering

Formation of tower-like weathering structures.

Popcorn Weathering

Pustulose features from repeated wetting and drying.

Mechanical Weathering

The disintegration of rocks into smaller pieces without changing the minerals.

Abrasion

Grinding together of rock particles, often occurring in rivers.

Frost Action

Ice breaking apart rocks when water freezes and expands.

Temperature Changes

Rocks expand and contract causing fractures with heat and cold.

Chemical Weathering

Breakdown of rocks by chemicals leading to the formation of new minerals.

Oxidation

Mineral combines with oxygen gas in the air to form new minerals.

Carbonation

Some minerals take up carbon dioxide or carbonic acid to form new minerals.

Soil

Upper regolith capable of supporting plant life.

Glacier

A moving mass of ice.

Glacial Drift

All sediments deposited by glaciers moving or melting.

Varve

Rhythmically-layered sediments deposited in annual layers in front of a melting glacier.

Alpine Glaciation

Glacier activity in mountainous regions.

Continental Glaciation

Huge ice sheets covering large areas of continental crust.