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Glacial Striations

Long, parallel grooves left by glaciers scraping against bedrock.

Glacial Till

Unsorted sediment deposited by glaciers, consisting of a mix of different particle sizes.

Glacial Erratic

A large rock transported by a glacier and deposited in a different geological area.

U-shaped valley

A valley formed by glacial erosion, characterized by steep sides and a flat bottom.

Plucking

A glacial process in which ice freezes onto rock and pulls it out as it moves.

Abrasion

The process where rocks carried by glaciers grind against the ground, smoothing surfaces.

Moraines

Ridges or mounds of till left behind at the edges of a glacier.

Weathering

The breaking down of rocks in place by physical and biological processes.

Heat Expansion

Physical weathering where rocks crack and peel due to temperature changes.

Root Wedging

Biological weathering where plant roots grow into cracks, breaking rocks apart.

Lichen Growth

Biological weathering process where lichens produce weak acids that dissolve minerals in rocks.

Infiltration

The process of water entering the soil and moving through the ground.

Runoff

Water that flows over the ground surface and does not infiltrate the soil.

Igneous Rocks

Rocks formed from cooled magma or lava.

Sedimentary Rocks

Rocks formed from compacted and cemented sediments, often containing fossils.

Metamorphic Rocks

Rocks formed from existing rocks transformed by heat and pressure.

Lithification

The process of turning sediment into sedimentary rock through compaction and cementation.

Frost Wedging

Physical weathering caused by water freezing in rock cracks, expanding, and breaking the rock.

Chemical Weathering

Weathering involving the chemical alteration of a rock's minerals.

Porosity

The measure of the void spaces in a material, indicating its ability to hold water.

Permeability

The property of a material that determines how easily fluids pass through it.

Clastic Sedimentary Rock

Sedimentary rock composed of fragments of pre-existing rocks.

Biological Sedimentary Rock

Sedimentary rock formed from the remains of living organisms.

Chemical Sedimentary Rock

Rocks formed by the precipitation of minerals from evaporating water.

Intrusive Igneous Rock

Igneous rock that formed from magma cooling slowly underground.

Extrusive Igneous Rock

Igneous rock that formed from lava cooling quickly on the surface.

Foliated Metamorphic Rock

Metamorphic rock with visible layers or bands formed under pressure.

Non-foliated Metamorphic Rock

Metamorphic rock without layers, typically formed from heat.

Gneiss

A type of foliated metamorphic rock with banded appearance.

Marble

Non-foliated metamorphic rock formed from limestone.

Conglomerate

A clastic sedimentary rock composed of rounded pebble-sized clasts.

Breccia

A clastic sedimentary rock made of angular rock fragments.