Earth Science Weathering and Erosion Review

Review Of Earth Science

Lowlands

regions of land that are positioned at lower elevations than the surrounding areas, often characterized by flat terrains with really no relief

Highlands

elevated regions of land, typically characterized by hills, mountains, and valleys that are higher than the surrounding areas with major relief

Plateau

an elevated flat area of land that rises sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side.

Weathering

process of breaking down rocks and minerals into smaller particles or soil through natural processes of weather and chemicals

Erosion

the process by which soil and rock are removed from the Earth's surface by wind, water, and ice, and then transported to another location.

landscape

visible features of an area of land, including landforms, bodies of water, vegetation, and human-made structures, all of which interact to create a particular environment.

Latitude

geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the Earth's surface,

longitude

geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface

Plains

large areas of flat land with few trees

Grions

a long, narrow structure built out into the water from a beach

Longshore Drift

Currents carrying sediments along parallel to the shoreline

Split

A collection of sandbars showing which way a wave flows

Sandbar

Long ridges in the sand of a beach shore

Bay-Mouth bars

Sandbrs that form inside a bay

Lagoon

a Shallow bay

Physical Weathering

Rocks broken down without changing chemical compounds

Chemical Weathering

Rocks that change chemical compounds when weathered

Oxidation

Oxygen that reacts with minerals forming oxides

Carbonation

Carbonic acid reacts with minerals and dissolves them forming “caves”

Hydration

Minerals absorbing water causing them to weaken

Humid environments have?

A lot of chemical weathering

Wet Enviroments have?

A lot of physical Weathering

Erosional agents

Mass movements like water ice or air

Root wedging

plants roots that widening the cracks and break rock

Ice Wedging/Frost Action

Weathering of rocks, where surfaces within the rock cracks fill with water, freeze, and eventually expand

Abrasion

weathering that occurs when material being transported wears away at a surface over time

Wave Action

Waves pounding against rocks

Wind Abrasion

Wind that picks up sediments and bumps it against other rocks

Downcut

When rocks form streams cut into the ground forming V-Shaped Valleys

Stream Abrasion

Rounding and smothing of rocks as they roll in a stream

Stream Cutting tools

The rocks that break the ground under a stream

Slope

The angle of a hill, channel of other geological formation

Velocity

The speed something travels at

Pitted rocks

Rocks picked up by wind in wind Abrasion

Eratics

Large boulders that are picked up and moved by agents of erosion

Gravity

The Number One Agent Of Erosion

Deposition

the laying down of sediment carried by wind, flowing water, the sea or ice

Long island

An island created of only glacial ice

Colloids

Smallest particals that take longest to settle

U Shaped valleys

Valleys made from glaciers

V shaped Valleys

Valleys made by water erosion

Alpine Glaciers

Valley creating Glaciers

Continental glaciers

also known a ice sheets sculpts land as rocks and eratics dragg along inside it

Glacial Polish

When glaciers act like sandpaper and scrub on bedrock shining it

Striations

Grooves and scratches caused by moving eratics

Drumlin

Accumalation of rock and soil that build up with flowing ice

Moraines

Where the ice from glacial movement is stopped

Terminal moraine

When Ice retreated leaving all unsorted sediments in its last location of stoping

Kettles

Low spots where ice sheets drag

Kettle lakes

When kettles fill with melted ice

depressions

Movement downward

Sediments

Small particles of sands and rocks

Boulders

Largest rocks starting at 25.6 diameter

Cobbles

Rocks starting at 6.4 diameter

Pebbles

Rocks starting at 0.2 diameter

Sands

Rocks starting at 0.006 diameter

Silts

Rocks starting at 0.0004 diameter

Clay

Rocks below 0.0004

Mountains

a natural elevation of the earth's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit

Mountain range

a series or chain of mountains that are close together.

Bedrock layer

solid, consolidated, and coherent layer of rock beneath the regolith

Dendritic

branching or tree-like structured water deposit

Radial

Water deposits that arranged or extend outward from a central point

Rectangular

pattern or arrangement where water deposits are aligned in straight lines and right angles

Annular

refers to circular patterns of deposits that form around a central point normally appearing in water basins and ring formations

humid

high amounts of water vapor in the air shown in wet enviroments

Arid

Very dry enviroments, especially having less precipitation than is needed to support most trees or woody plants

Rolling hills

A Feature notably shown In plateau landscapes

Relief

the diffrence in elevation of a landscape

Conglomarates

clastic sedimentary rock that forms from the cementing of rounded cobble and pebble sized rock fragments together

Orogeny

deformation imposed during mountain creation