Earth Science Unit 4

Front 1

Denudation

Back 1

To take away

Front 2

Degredation

Back 2

Breaking down and changing

Front 3

Aggradation

Back 3

Combining

Front 4

Four Fluid Agents

Back 4

Running Water

Glacial Ice

Oceans

Wind

Front 5

Weathering

Back 5

Disintegration at or near the surface

Front 6

Mass Wasting

Back 6

Downslope

Influence of gravity

Front 7

Erosion

Back 7

Transportation by water, wind, or ice

Front 8

Mechanical Weathering

Back 8

Breaking of rocks into smaller pieces

Front 9

Processes of Mechanical Weathering

Back 9

Unloading

Frost Wedging

Front 10

Frost Wedging

Back 10

The #1 Mechanical weathering process

Water moves into a crack and freezes, lets in more water, and continues process until it breaks off

Front 11

Unloading and Exfoliating

Back 11

Inner Pressure pushes up, cracking the surface

Deals with Igneous Rocks

Front 12

Chemical Weathering

Back 12

Alters the internal structures of minerals my removing or adding elements

Front 13

What is the most important agent in Chemical Weathering?

Back 13

Water

Front 14

Biological Activity

Back 14

Organisms (Plants or Animals) alter the landscape

Ex: Tree Roots breaking large rocks apart

Front 15

Rates of Weathering

Back 15

How fast or how slow something is weathered

Front 16

What are the three factors that influence Weathering Rates?

Back 16

Rock Characteristics

Climate

Differential Weathering

Front 17

Rock Characteristics

Back 17

Mineral Composition and Solubility

Physical Features

Front 18

Climate

Back 18

Temperature

Moisture

Front 19

Where does Chemical Weathering Occur?

Back 19

Warm Temperatures

Areas of Abundant Moisture

Front 20

Differential Weathering

Back 20

Caused by variations in composition

Front 21

Soil

Back 21

Combination of mineral matter, water, and air

Portion of the regolith (rock and mineral fragments) that supports the growth of plants

Front 22

Soil Texture

Back 22

The Proportions of different particle sizes

Sand, Silt, and Clay

Front 23

Loam

Back 23

Mixture of all three sizes

Best suited for plant life

Front 24

Soil Structure

Back 24

Soil Particles clumped together to give soil its structure

Platy, Prismatic, Blocky, and Spheroidal

Front 25

Residual Soil

Back 25

Parent material is the bedrock

Front 26

Transported Soil

Back 26

Parent material has been carried from elsewhere and deposited

Front 27

Controls of Soil Formation

Back 27

Parent Material

Time

Climate

Plants and Animals

Slope

Front 28

Soil Profile

Back 28

Horizons

Front 29

Horizons

Back 29

Zones or layers of soil

Front 30

What are all the different Horizons?

Back 30

O - Organic Matter

A - Organic and Mineral Matter

E - Little Organic Matter

B - Zone of Accumulation

C - Partially Altered Parent Material

Front 31

Topsoil

Back 31

O + A = Topsoil

Front 32

Pedocals

Back 32

Base soils, drier grasslands

Calcium

Front 33

Pedalfers

Back 33

Acidic Soils, forests

Aluminum and Iron

Front 34

Laterites

Back 34

Infertile, Rain Forests

Front 35

Mass Wasting

Back 35

Downslope movement of rock, regolith, and soil under the direct influence of gravity

Front 36

What triggers mass wasting?

Back 36

Saturation of material with water

Oversteepening of slopes

Removal of anchoring vegetation

Ground vibrations from earthquakes

Front 37

Creep

Back 37

Eroded material slowly creeps down a slope

Front 38

Alluvium

Back 38

Smooth rock

Front 39

Tallus

Back 39

Rough Rock

Front 40

Angle of Repose

Back 40

Last viable slope/last angle soil will stay on until falling down hillside