Geography Lecture Notes Review

Flashcards created from lecture notes covering key concepts in weathering, karst landscapes, fluvial processes, glacial environments, soil science, ecosystems, and biogeochemical cycles.

Weathering

The breakdown of rocks at or near Earth's surface.

Mechanical weathering

Rock breaks apart without changing its composition, for example root growth.

Chemical weathering

Rock is broken down by chemical reactions changing the rocks composition like oxidation

Oxidation

chemical weathering where oxygen reacts with minerals, often causing rusting.

Karst landscape

land formed from the dissolution of limestone, resulting in sinkholes, caves,

Mass movement

Downhill movement of soil or rock due to gravity, such as landslides or rockfalls.

Fluvial

Related to rivers or streams.

Erosion (by rivers)

The wearing away of the riverbed and banks by flowing water.

Transportation (by rivers)

The movement of sediment downstream by the river.

Deposition (by rivers)

When a river drops the sediment it was carrying.

Meander

A wide, looping bend in a river formed by erosion on the outer bend and deposition on the inner bend.

Oxbow lake

A U-shaped lake formed when a meander is cut off from the main river.

Delta

A triangle-shaped landform where a river deposits sediment at its mouth into a still body of water.

Floodplain

Flat land on either side of a river that floods when the river overflows.

Wave erosion

The wearing away of land by the action of ocean waves, such as cliff undercutting.

Spit

A narrow landform of deposited sand or gravel extending into a body of water from the coast.

Bar

A ridge of sand deposited across the entrance to a bay or river mouth.

Dune

A hill or ridge of sand shaped by the wind, commonly found in deserts or coastal areas.

Deflation

Wind erosion where loose particles are picked up and removed from the surface.

Abrasion (wind)

The 'sandblasting' effect when wind-blown particles scrape against rock surfaces.

Glacier

A large, slow-moving mass of ice that forms from compacted snow.

Alpine glacier

A glacier found in mountainous regions.

Continental glacier

A large ice sheet covering a continent-sized area, such as Antarctica and Greenland.

Cirque

Bowl-shaped hollow at the head of a glacial valley, where the glacier forms.

Moraine

Pile or ridge of debris (rocks, soil) deposited by a glacier.

Drumlin

Smooth, oval-shaped hill formed beneath a glacier, aligned with ice movement.

U-shaped valley

Valley carved by a glacier, with a flat bottom and steep sides.

Periglacial

Cold regions near glaciers, not covered in ice but affected by freezing conditions.

Permafrost

Ground that remains frozen for at least two years.

Soil

A mixture of minerals, organic material, water, and air, supporting plant life.

Soil horizon

A layer of soil with distinct characteristics, such as O, A, B, C layers.

O horizon

The top layer rich in organic material, including plant litter and humus.

A horizon (topsoil)

The fertile layer of soil where most roots grow.

Parent material

The original rock or sediment that soil forms from.

Humus

Dark organic material in soil from decayed organisms, which increases soil fertility.

Leaching

The process by which water carries nutrients and minerals downward through soil.

CLORPT

Acronym for soil formation factors: Climate, Organisms, Relief, Parent material, Time.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms interacting with each other and their non-living environment.

Producer

An organism that makes its own food via photosynthesis, such as plants.

Consumer

An organism that eats other organisms, such as animals.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead material and recycles nutrients, such as fungi and bacteria.

Biogeochemical cycle

Movement of nutrients, like carbon, nitrogen, and water, through the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.

Carbon cycle

The movement of carbon through plants, animals, air, water, and soil.

Nitrogen cycle

The movement of nitrogen between the atmosphere, organisms, and soil.

Water cycle

Movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.