Weathering, erosion, deposition

These flashcards cover key concepts related to weathering, erosion, and deposition from the lecture notes.

Weathering

The breakdown of rocks into soil.

Physical Weathering

Any process that causes a rock to crack or break into pieces without changing its composition.

Chemical Weathering

Any process that causes rocks to breakdown by chemical action, resulting in a change in composition.

Frost Action (Ice Wedging)

Water seeps into cracks in a rock; when water freezes, it expands by 10%, causing the rock to split apart.

Oxidation

Oxygen combines with certain minerals in rocks, leading to chemical changes that weaken the rock.

Carbonation

Carbon dioxide dissolves into water, forming a weak acid that reacts with certain rocks, such as calcite.

Abrasion

Sediments carried by streams and wind-blown sand cause particles to collide with each other and surrounding rock.

Deflation

The process where winds blow away loose sediments, lowering the land surface.

Mass Wasting

The downward movement of weathered sediments due to the force of gravity.

Meander

Bends in a stream's channel; streams move fastest along the outside of a curve.

Glacier

A naturally formed, large mass of ice that moves downhill due to gravity.

Deposition

The process by which sediment is dropped or settles, occurring when the velocity of transport decreases.

Sorted Sediments

Sediment deposits that have particles of the same size, shape, and density.

Unsorded Sediments

Sediment deposits that are mixed in size, shape, and density.

Longshore Current

A flow of water created when waves hit the shore at an angle.

Vertical Sorting

A process where heavier and denser particles settle first, resulting in a layering of sediments.

Delta

A landform created at the mouth of a river where it deposits sediment into a body of water.