Weathering and Mass Movement

Mass movement

________ is classified by the speed at which it happens.

Rainwater

________ falls onto the exposed limestone and passes through vertical joints or cracks in the limestone pavement.

Carbonation

________ and the physical force of the moving water, called hydraulic action, enlarge the joints and bedding planes.

Grass

________ and shrubs protect the soil from weathering and erosion.

erosion

Weathering and ________ produce loose material called regolith.

Mudflows

________ can also occur in the aftermath of a volcano in snowy regions, a volcanic eruption will cause snow and ice to melt quickly.

Italian Alps

An avalanche in a ski resort in the ________ killed three skiers in March 2017.

mountainous areas

Controlled explosions in ________ can be used to trigger small avalanches, making large, life- threatening avalanches less likely.

atmosphere

The ________ contains a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2)

avalanche

A(n) ________ is the rapid movement of snow and ice downslope when the weight of the snow is too much for the slope to hold.

Heavy rain

________ can speed up mass movement.

Humans

________ can try to control natural disasters caused by mass movement.

regolith

Water also acts as a lubricant, which makes the movement of the ________ easier.

river

As a(n) ________ flows over the limestone, the water widens the joints in the rock through carbonation.

Limestone

________ is a permeable rock.

landslide

A(n) ________ is the rapid movement of regolith down a steep slope that has become unstable.

Mechanical weathering

________ breaks up rocks into smaller pieces by putting pressure on the rock.

heavy rainfall

A landslide caused by ________ in south- west China in June 2017 buried 62 homes and more than a hundred people.

Karst

________ landscapes: areas where limestone rock is exposed to carbonation.

Freeze thaw action

________ occurs high up in mountainous areas where there is a lot of precipitation (rain, sleet and snow) and the temperatures regularly rise above and fall below freezing point.

Soil creep

________ is the movement of soil down a slope under the influence of gravity.

Chemical weathering

________ is when rocks are dissolved because of a chemical reaction.

deposits of calcite

The water evaporates and leave ________ on the floor of the caves directly below the stalactites.

Mass movement

________ is when regolith moves down a slope due to gravity.

Rainwater

________ (H2O) mixes with the CO2 to form a weak carbonic acid (H2CO3)

Mudflows

________ occur when soil and regolith become saturated with water after periods of heavy rainfall and move downslope like a river of mud.

Carbonation

________ makes the joints wider by dissolving the calcium ________ in the limestone until they then look like grooves or gaps in the limestone.

Erosion

________ is the breaking- down of rocks and soil and transportation of the ________ material.

mass movement

The roots of the plants bind the soil and keeps it stable to prevent ________.

Moving water

rivers and seas

Moving ice

glaciers

Moving air

wind

Example of mechanical weathering

Freeze-thaw action

Temperatures that repeatedly rise and fall

fluctuating temperatures

Example of chemical weathering

Carbonation

Permeable rock

rainwater can pass through the rock

Karst landscapes

areas where limestone rock is exposed to carbonation

The surface of a karst landscape

limestone pavement

Joints

long vertical cracks in limestone rock

Bedding planes

the horizontal paces between the layers or strata in limestone

Stalactites

hang from the roof

Stalagmites

on the floor

Gradient

Steepness of the slope