Chapter 16 - Weathering and Mass Movement

Question 1

weathering

Answer 1

the process by which solid rock is dissolved and broken apart into smaller fragments

Question 2

erosion

Answer 2

the scouring and stripping away of rock fragments loosened by weathering

Question 3

sediment transport

Answer 3

the movement of rock fragments (sediments) that have been weathered and eroded

Question 4

deposition

Answer 4

occurs when sediments in transport are lad down

Question 5

denundation

Answer 5

the lowering and wearing of Earth’s surface

Question 6

physical weathering

Answer 6

breaks down rocks into smaller pieces/clasts without altering the chemical makeup of the rock

Question 7

exfoliation

Answer 7

a process where joints form parallel to the rock surface, creating sheet-like slabs of rock resembling the layers of an onion

Question 8

frost wedging

Answer 8

a process by which water in a joint in rock freezes and expands, causing the opening to grow

Question 9

salt weathering

Answer 9

a process in which salt crystals grow in pore spaces within a rock and exert pressure as they grow

Question 10

tafoni

Answer 10

rounded pits or cavities on the surface of a rock that form through salt weathering

Question 11

root wedging

Answer 11

occurs when plant roots that are seeking water grow into joints

Question 12

chemical weathering

Answer 12

changes the minerals in rock through chemical reactions involving water

Question 13

carbonation

Answer 13

a chemical weathering process in which carbonate rock such as limestone is dissolved in a carbonic acid solution and carried away

Question 14

spheroidal weathering

Answer 14

the process of weathering along the edges and corners of a rock, causing them to become rounded over time

Question 15

karst

Answer 15

refers to an area dominated by weathering of carbonate rocks, usually limestone

Question 16

dissolution

Answer 16

the general process in which a mineral completely dissolves in water

Question 17

sinkhole

Answer 17

a depression in Earth’s surface that results from dissolution of carbonate rocks underground

Question 18

sinkhole lakes

Answer 18

sinkholes filled with water

Question 19

collapse sinkhole

Answer 19

forms where the ceiling of a subterranean cave has collapsed

Question 20

disappearing streams

Answer 20

surface streams that are found in karst regions that usually flow for short stretches before disappearing into the ground

Question 21

speleothems

Answer 21

a cavern formation that forms through precipitation of calcium carbonate

Question 22

stalactites

Answer 22

formations that grow from the ceiling downwards

Question 23

stalagmites

Answer 23

formations that grow from the cave floor upwards

Question 24

limestone column

Answer 24

a cylindrical dripstone that results when a stalactite joins with a stalagmite

Question 25

mass movement

Answer 25

the movement of rock, soil, snow, or ice downslope via gravity (such as a landslide)

Question 26

soil creep

Answer 26

the imperceptible downslope movement of soil and regolith as their volume changes in season expansion-contraction cycles

Question 27

solifucation

Answer 27

a special type of soil creep where freeze-thaw expansion-contraction cycles cause the soil to flow slowly downslope in overlapping sheets

Question 28

slump

Answer 28

a type of mass movement in which regolith detaches and slides downslope along a spoon-shaped plane and comes to rest more or less as a unit

Question 29

landslide

Answer 29

a general term for the sudden and rapid movement of rock or debris down a steep slope

Question 30

mudflow

Answer 30

a fast-moving flow composed of fine-grained material mixed with water that form mud

Question 31

debris flow

Answer 31

when a fast-flowing slurry of mud is mixed with large objects, such as rocks and vegetation

Question 32

rock slide

Answer 32

a landslide that consists predominately of rocks and broken rock fragments

Question 33

debris slide

Answer 33

consists of regolith and other material, such as soil and trees; also called debris avalanche

Question 34

avalanche

Answer 34

a turbulent cloud of rock debris or snow that is mixed with air and races quickly down a steep slope

Question 35

avalanche chutes

Answer 35

canals in which snow and debris avalanches regularly move through

Question 36

rockfall

Answer 36

occurs when rocks tumble off a vertical or nearly vertical cliff face

Question 37

talus

Answer 37

the pieces of angular broken rock that accumulates at the angle of repose at the base of a steep slope of cliff

Question 38

talus cones

Answer 38

accumulation of talus at the base of rockfall chutes in cone-shaped piles

Question 39

talus apron

Answer 39

forms where two or more talus cones merge at the foot of a cliff