Earth Science Chap. 12 Test

Front 1

mechanical weathering

Back 1

the breakdown of rock that takes place when a rock is broken down into smaller pieces of the same material without changing its composition

Front 2

Cleopatra's needle

Back 2

two Ancient Egyptian obelisks made of red granite

Front 3

Ponderosa Pine

Back 3

tall timber pine of western North America that has dark green needles in bunches and bark that smells like Vanilla

Front 4

Differential Weathering

Back 4

Varying rates of weathering resulting from some rocks in an area being more resistant to weathering than others.

Front 5

Continental Divide

Back 5

a line of elevated terrain which forms a border between two watersheds

Front 6

Spheroidal Weathering

Back 6

a type of chemical weathering that creates rounded boulders and helps to create domed monoliths

Front 7

Exfoliation Dome

Back 7

A large, rounded landform developed in a massive rock, such as granite, by the process of exfoliation

Front 8

Ice Wedging

Back 8

Water fills up cracks in rock, and when it freezes, it expands and cracks the rock, similar to driving an axe into wood.

Front 9

Hydrolysis

Back 9

chemical reaction of water with other substances

Front 10

Snow Pack

Back 10

naturally packed snow that lays on the ground for a significant period of time

Front 11

Weathering

Back 11

the breakup of rock due to exposure to processes that occur at or near earths surfaces

Front 12

Wind Gap

Back 12

an opening through a high ridge that developed earlier in geologic history by stream erosion, but that is now dry.

Front 13

Caldera

Back 13

large, crater shaped basin formed after the top of a volcano collapses

Front 14

Talus Slope

Back 14

The large pile of rocky boulders that accumulates at the foot of a cliff usually at a 45 degree angle

Front 15

Desert Pavement

Back 15

desert surface that is covered with closely packed, interlocking angular or rounded rock fragments of pebble

Front 16

Mushroom Rock

Back 16

rock formed by erosion and weathering at a slower rate on top and faster rate closer to the ground leaving rock shaped like a mushroom

Front 17

Monument Valley

Back 17

two buttes that resemble large hands and native americans believed they were the hands of mother nature

Front 18

Mass Movement

Back 18

down-slope transportation of large masses of earth materials by gravity

Front 19

Acid Rain

Back 19

rainwater that contains high levels of acids that can be traced back to pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen compounds, and carbon dioxide

Front 20

Surface Hoar

Back 20

Fernlike ice crystals formed directly on a snow surface by deposition

Front 21

Mechanical Weathering

Back 21

the breakdown of rock when broken into smaller pieces of the same material without changing its composition

Front 22

Ventifact

Back 22

a rock with surfaces that have been abraded by wind-blown sand

Front 23

Volcanic Neck

Back 23

solidified lava filling the central vent of an extinct volcano

Front 24

Mesa

Back 24

flat topped hill surrounded by cliffs

* means "table" in spanish
(tables have flat tops)

Front 25

Cap Stone

Back 25

rock that consists of a different mineral than the one underneath it protecting it from weathering

Front 26

Desert Varnish

Back 26

A dark coating that forms on exposed rocks over long periods of time from a reaction of bacteria, manganese, iron, and clay.

Front 27

Frost Wedging

Back 27

The process in which water trapped in a joint freezes, forces the joint open, and may cause the joint to grow.

Front 28

Oxidation

Back 28

the chemical reaction of oxygen with other substances

Front 29

Erosion

Back 29

the removal and transport of materials by natural agents such as wind and running water

Front 30

Crater Lake

Back 30

a lake that forms in a volcanic crater, caldera, or maar. Incoming precipitation fills the depression to form a deepening lake

Front 31

Lava Dome

Back 31

A dome-like mass of rhyolitic lava that accumulates above the eruption vent.

Front 32

Butte

Back 32

A naturally elevated landform with steep sides.

Front 33

Deflation

Back 33

the removal of loose soil and other surface material by the wind, leaving the rocks bare to the continuous attack of the weather

Front 34

Hoodoo

Back 34

column or pillar of bizarre shape caused by differential erosion on rocks of different hardness.

Front 35

Petroglyph

Back 35

Rock carving or rock "art" made by "pecking" the surface with another rock.

Front 36

Abrasion

Back 36

the wearing away of rock material by grinding action

Front 37

White Death

Back 37

A.K.A. avalanche