Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Geology > Unit 5 > Flashcards

Unit 5 Flashcards

(93 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

the process by which rocks break down into smaller pieces by physical means

A

Mechanical weathering

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

cracking and breaking of rock through greeze-thaw cycles

A

Mechanical weathering: ice wedging

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

the grinding and wearing of rock surfaces through the mechanical action of other rock or sane particles

A

Mechanical Weathering: Abrasion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Mechanical Weathering: plant and animal activity

A

roots of plants or movement of animals cause breakdown of material

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

the process by which a metallic element combines with oxygen

A

Chemical weathering: oxidation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

a chemical reaction between water and another substance to form two or more new substances

A

Chemical weathering: hydrolysis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

the conversion of a compound into a carbonate

A

Chemical weathering: Carbonation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

precipitation, such as rain, sleet, or snow, that contains a high concentration of acids, often because of the pollution of the atmosphere

A

Chemical weathering: Acid precipitation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Differential weathering: What affects the extent and rate at which rocks weather

A

Rock composition, Amount of Exposure, Climate, Topography, human activities, plants and animal activities. Affect the extent and rate at which rocks weather

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Describe soil characteristics

A
  • soil texture describes the size of the soil particals
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

a horizontal layer of soil that can be distinguished from the layers above and below it

A

Soil profiles: Horizons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

dark, organic material formed in soil from the decayed remains of plants and animals

A

soil profiles: humus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

soil profiles: Describe the different soil layers

A

Surface litter: fallen leaves and partially decomposed organic matter
Topsoil: organic matter, living organisms, and rock particles
Zone of leaching: dissolved or suspended materials moving downward
Subsoil: larger rock particles with organic matter, and inorganic compounds
Rock particles: rock that has undergone weathering
Bedrock: solid rock layer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the effect of climate on soil

A

it influences weathering processes which influence soil composition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Identify agents of erosion

A

wind, water, ice, or gravity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

improper plowing of furrows, or long, narrow rows

A

Soil erosion: gullying

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

the process by which water flows over a layer of soil and removes the topsoil

A

soil erosion: sheet erosion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what are the results of soil erosion

A

Constant erosion of the A horizon leaves less fertile land.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Why is soil conservation important?

A

methods to prevent/reduce erosion rates; especially those caused by human activities

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Identify farming methods that help conserve soil

A

Contour Plowing: fields are plowed in contours to follow that shape of land
Strip-cropping: crops are planted in alternating bands
Cover crops
Terracing: the construction of steplike ridges that follow contours of a sloped field
Crop Rotation: the process of farmers rotating the type of crops that are planted

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

dramatic and destructive mass movements

A

Mass movement: Rockfalls and landslides

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

saturation of soils can also contribute to movement of soil

A

Mass movement: Mudflows, slumps

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

the slow, down slope flow of soil saturated with water in areas surrounding glaciers at high elevations

A

mass movements: solifluction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

the slow downhill movement of weathered rock material

A

mass movements: creep

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
rounds sharp peaks and valleys and eventually wear a mountain away
landforms: erosion of mountains
26
Landforms: Erosion of plains and plateaus
Plain: flat landform near sea level Plateau: broad, flat landform that has a high elevation Produce and shape plateaus and can wear down into mesas and buttes
27
Diagram the water cycle: Exapotranspiration
the total loss of water from an area, which equals the sum of the water lost by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and the water lost via transpiration from organisms
28
Diagram the water cycle. condensation
the change of state from a gas to a liquid; produces clouds
29
Diagram the water cycle: precipitation
any form of water that falls to Earth’s surface from the clouds; including rain, snow, sleet, and hail
30
Earths water budget: Global vs. local budget
Factors that affect local water budget include temperature, vegetation, wind, and the amounts of rainfall. Water use can also impact the water budget for a local area. Avg. person in the US uses approx. 21,000 gallons of water a year. Waste water used by cities and industry is often returned to rivers or oceans but wastewater may contain harmful materials. While Earth holds a lot of water, only a small percentage of that water is fresh waster that can be used by humans. To maintain freshwater we can look to conservation and alternative sources.
31
Earths Water budget: Importance of water budgeting
to maintain freshwater,
32
Earth’s Water Budget Desalination
a process of removing salt from ocean water
33
Parts of a River System Tributaries
a stream that flows into a lake or into a larger stream
34
Parts of a River System Watershed
the area of land that is drained by a river system
35
what contributes to channel erosion
stream load: materials other than water carried by the stream, Stream discharge: the volume of water the flows within a given time, Stream gradient: the change in elevation over a given distance; the steepness of the stream’s slope
36
Stream load: Suspended
Suspended load consists of particles of fine sand and silt that is suspended and carried in stream.
37
Stream load: Bed
load is made up of larger, coarser materials; moves by sliding and jumping along bed.
38
Stream load: Dissolved
the mineral components dissolved and transported in the stream
39
Types of streams
straight, meandering, and braided
40
one of the bends, twists, or curves in a low-gradient stream or river
Meander
41
a stream or river that is composed of multiple channels that divide and rejoin around sediment bars
Braided Stream
42
a fan-shaped mass of rock material deposited at the mouth of a stream Forms when a stream deposits sediment into another body of water Size determined by waves, tides, offshore depths, and sediment load
Delta
43
a fan-shaped mass of rock material deposited by a stream when the slope of the land decreases sharply Forms when a stream deposits sediment on land.
Alluvial fan
44
an area along a river that forms sediments deposited when the river overflows its banks
Floodplain
45
raised banks of streams produced from the accumulation of deposits along the banks
Natural levees:
46
Impacts on flooding:
Removal of vegetation can inhibit soil integrity and water can move more freely Logging and clearing of land can increase the volume and speed of runoff
47
Flood control:
Dams Artificial levees: artificially created barriers that prevent the overflow of water ways Floodways: permanent overflow channels can provide a way to carry away excess water
48
the water that is beneath Earth’s surface
Groundwater:
49
body of rock or sediment in which large amounts of water can flow and be stored
aquifer
50
he percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces
Porosity
51
the ability of a rock or sediment to let fluids pass through its open spaces, or pores
Permeability
52
the zone that lies between the water table and Earth’s surface; most of the pore space if filled by air but water can move through
Zone of aeration
53
the layer of an aquifer in which the pore space is completely filled with water
Zone of saturation
54
Water table
the upper surface of underground water; the upper boundary of the zone of saturation
55
a hole that is dug to below the level of the water table and through which groundwater is brought to Earth’s surface.
Well
56
how does groundwater reach earths surface
through wells and springs
57
natural flow of groundwater to Earth’s surface in places where the ground surface dips below the water table.
spring
58
how do hot springs and geysers form
when groundwater is heated when its passes through rock that has been heated by magma.
59
water that contains relatively high concentrations of dissolved minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, and iron
Hard water
60
water that contains relatively low concentrations of dissolved minerals
Soft water
61
a natural cavity that forms in rock as a result of the dissolution of minerals; also a large cave that commonly contains many smaller, connecting chambers
Cavern
62
Sinkhole
a circular depression that forms when rock dissolves, when overlying sediment fills an existing cavity, or when the roof of an underground cavern or mine collapses
63
a type of irregular topography that is characterized by caverns, sinkholes, and underground drainage and that forms on limestone or other soluble rock
Karst topography
64
a large mass of moving ice
Glaciers
65
an almost motionless mass of permanent snow and ice; typically found at high elevations and in polar regions
Snow fields
66
Formation of glacial ice:
Begins with snow; summer snow loss is less than winter gain; snow is compacted and through recrystallization through melting and refreezing remove air Firn: granular, compacted snow with air removed from crystals through compaction and refreezing Glacial ice: largest degree of compression and recrystallization
67
a narrow, wedge-shaped mass of ice that forms in a mountainous region and that is confined to a small area by surrounding topography
Alpine glacier
68
a massive sheet of ice that may cover millions of square kilometers that may be thousands of meters thick, and that is not confined by surrounding topography
Continental glacier:
69
the process that causes the ice at the base of a glacier to melt and the glacier to slide
Basal slip
70
the process by which glaciers flow slowly as grains of ice deform under pressure and slide over each other
Internal Plastic Flow
71
in a glacier, a large crack or fissure that results from ice movement
Crevasse
72
parts of ice sheets that may move out over the ocean as a continental glacier moves outward/expands
Ice shelves
73
large blocks of ice that may break from the ice shelves and drift into the ocean.
Icebergs
74
a deep and steep bowl-like depression produced by glacial erosion
Cirque
75
a sharp, jagged ridge that forms between cirques
Arete
76
large rock transported from a distant source by a glacier
Erratics
77
rock material carried and deposited by glaciers
Glacial drift
78
unsorted rock material that is deposited directly by a melting glacier
Till
79
a landform that is made from unsorted sediments deposited by a glacier
Moraines
80
a deposit of stratified drift that lies in from of a terminal moraine and is crossed by many meltwater streams
Outwash plains
81
a bowl-shaped depression in a glacial drift deposit
Kettles
82
a long, winding ridge of gravel and coarse sand deposited by glacial meltwater streams
Esker
83
Milankovitch Theory
the theory that cyclical changes in Earth’s orbit and in the tilt of Earth’s axis occur over thousands of years and cause climatic changes
84
3 periodic changes that occur:
Eccentricity: changes in the orbital shape Tilt: variations in the tilt of the Earth Precession: a gradual change, wobble, in the orientation of Earth’s axis
85
a form of wind erosion in which fine, dry soil particles are blown away
Deflation
86
any rock that is pitted, grooved, or polished by wind abrasion
Ventifact
87
fine-grained sediments of quartz, feldspar, hornblende, mica, and clay deposited by the wind
Loess
88
flattened features created due to erosion or deposition of waves
Terraces
89
what creates longshore currents
Waves moving at a shallow angle to the shoreline
90
a water current that travels near and parallel to the shoreline
Longshore current
91
forms when sea level rises or when the land sinks
Submergent Coastlines
92
when the land rises or when sea level falls
Emergent Coastlines
93
a long ridge of sand or narrow island that lies parallel to the shore; formed when sea level rises over a flat coastal plain
Barrier Islands

Geology (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions