Knowt
Untitled Flashcards Set
GEOG - 1P11 Study Sheet
Geomorphology - Study of landforms and how they form.
Alfred Wegener - Proposed the theory of continental drift and the existence of a supercontinent (Pangaea).
Inner Core - The solid iron and nickel center of the Earth.
Pangaea - Supercontinent that existed 300 million years ago.
Basalt - Primary rock of oceanic crust.
Plate Divergence - When two continental plates pull apart.
Quartz - A common rock-forming mineral.
Mid-Oceanic Ridge - Ridge-like feature formed by magma upwelling at a rift zone.
Lava - Molten rock on Earth's surface.
Extrusive Igneous Rock - Formed from cooling lava.
Subduction - One lithospheric plate forced beneath another.
Lithification - Process of cementing and compacting rock.
Primary Waves - Compressional seismic waves.
Calcite - Dominant mineral in limestone.
Cinder-Cone Volcano - Small, steep volcano formed by solidified magma fragments.
Metamorphic Rocks - Rocks formed from heat and pressure without melting.
Caldera - Large depression caused by volcanic activity.
Earth’s Age - Approximately 4.7 billion years.
Mauna Loa - Largest volcano on Earth.
Geologic Time Order - Eons > Eras > Periods > Epochs.
Composite Volcanoes - Explosive volcanoes formed after several eruptions.
Holocene Epoch - About 10,000 years old.
Sandstone - Sedimentary rock formed from compacted sand grains.
Mantle - Layer between the outer core and crust, composed of silicate rock.
Isostasy - Equilibrium between lithosphere and asthenosphere.
Transform Plate Margin - Boundary where plates move horizontally relative to each other.
Moment Magnitude Scale - Measures earthquake magnitude based on fault movement and rock strength.
Caldera - Large volcanic depression from explosion or collapse.
Hotspot - Stationary zone of magma upwelling causing volcanism.
Minerals - Naturally occurring substances with a crystalline structure.
Gravity - Primary agent of mass wasting.
Oxbow Lake - Abandoned stream channel cut off by meandering.
Chemical Weathering - Breakdown of rock due to chemical reactions.
Exfoliation - Physical weathering where rock sheets flake off due to temperature changes or unloading.
Physical Weathering - Also called mechanical weathering.
Radial Drainage - Drainage system typical of volcanoes.
Denudation - Long-term erosive process reducing elevation of landforms.
Solifluction - Soil movement in Arctic environments due to freeze-thaw cycles.
Angle of Repose - Maximum angle at which loose material can rest without sliding.
Avalanche Track - Zone where avalanche causes the most destruction.
Aggradation - Accumulation of sediment in a stream.
Delta - Low, level plain formed where a stream enters a still body of water.
Carbonation - Chemical weathering where carbonic acid dissolves rock.
Talus - Rock debris at the base of a cliff due to rockfall.
Trunk Stream - Primary stream of a drainage basin.
Oxidation - Chemical weathering where oxygen combines with metallic elements.
Suspended Load - Sediment floating in a stream.
Confluence - Point where two streams join.
Salt Crystal Growth - Weathering where salt weakens rock cement through evaporation.
Drainage Basin - Area that contributes runoff to a stream.
Cutbank - Steep slope formed by erosion at the outside of a meander.
Cap Rock - Resistant rock layer protecting underlying layers from erosion.
Floodplain - Low-lying area that floods during heavy rainfall.
Knickpoint - Rapid or waterfall in a stream.
Natural Levee - Ridge formed by sediment deposition during flooding.
Flows - Mass-wasting events involving very wet material.
Biological Weathering - Breakdown of rock by plants and animals.
Frost Wedging - Expansion of freezing water in cracks causing rock breakage.
Sheet Runoff - Water flowing in sheets toward a drain.
Soil Creep - Slowest form of mass wasting.
Hydrology & Karst Topography:
Field Capacity - The condition when pore spaces in soil are completely filled with water.
Karst Topography - A landscape characterized by caves and soluble rock features.
Aquifer - A geological formation that contains a suitable amount of water for human use.
Stalactites - Hanging rods of minerals (e.g., calcium carbonate) formed in caves.
Water Table - The top of the saturated zone in the ground.
Sandy Sediments - The largest aquifers occur in regions with abundant sandy sediments.
High Plains (Ogallala) Aquifer - The most heavily utilized aquifer in North America.
Tower Karst - A type of karst topography occurring in humid subtropical areas with thick limestone beds.
Subsidence - The sinking of a surface due to loss of support from underlying water, soils, or strata.
Hygroscopic Water - Soil water held so tightly by sediment grains that it is unavailable for plant use.
Saturated Zone - The zone below and including the water table where pore spaces are completely filled with water.
Capillary Water - Water that moves upward through the unsaturated zone.
Artesian Well - A well where water rises to the surface through natural pressure in a confined aquifer.
Spring - A place where water naturally seeps out of the ground.
Sinkhole - A topographic depression formed when underlying rock dissolves, causing surface collapse.
Groundwater - Water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers.
