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61 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back

geomorphology

is hte study of landforms and the processes that created them

landforms

elements of earths sueface that have such identifiable form, mountains, valleys, hills, and depressions

endogenic porcesses

are forces that cause movements beneath or at earths surface such as mountain building and earthquakes

exogenic processes

are forces of erosion such as running water, wind , and chemical actions that occur at earths surface

plate tectonic theory

wegener's theory that was reject , but in the 1960s researchers vindicated him by working out an explanaiton

mantle

rock just beneath the crust

tectonic plates

earths rigid crust that move

earthquakes

sudden movements of earths crust

focus of an earthquake

the focus is generally near the surface but can be as deep as 600 kilometers (370 miles)

epicenter

area of surface directly above the focus

seismograph

a device that records the quakes seismic waves or vibrations

magma

molten rock

lava

when magma reaches the surface and erupts

volcano

sruface vent where lava emerges

shield volcanoes

their shape

composite cone volcanoes

explosive volcanoes that cause death and descruction

divergent plate

spreading apart

seafloor spreading

where two plates are diverging on the seafloor , lava continues to erupt and is rapidly chilled by seawater it solidifies to form a new seafloor crust

convergent plate boundary

a boundary where plates push together

transform plate boundary

a boundary where the plates neither converge nor diverge but grind past each other

isostatic ajustments

the vertical movement caused by loading or unloading the crust

igneous rocks

are formed when molten crustal material cools and solidfies

sedimentary rocks

result when rocks eroded from higher elevations accumulate at lower eleveation

metamorphic rocks

are created when rocks are exposed to great pressure and heat altering them into more compact, crystalline rocks

sima

denser rocks are dominated by compunds of silicon, magnesium, and iron minerals

sial

less dense rocks are dominated by compounds of silicon and aluminum minerals

shields

the formation and distribution of many minerals is caused by the movements of earths crust, vast areas of the continental crust

faults

when stressed far enough, fracture along cracks will form

structural landforms

variation in the resistance of rocks to exogenic processes cause weak rocks to be removed more rapidly while more resistant rocks remain in place

weathering

process of breaking rocks into pieces ranging in size from boulders to pebbles, sand grains, and silt down to microscopic clay particles

chemical weathering

is a change in the element that compose rocks when they are exposed to air and water

karst

limestone being eaten away by water creates sinkholes then the topography that's left over is called

mechanical weathering

rocks expand and contract with frequent changes in temp, causing them to break apart

mass movement

rocks roll, slide, or free-fall downhill under the steady pull of gravity

surface erosion

water which flows downhill because of gravity carries solid rock particles with it

soil creep

a very slow, gradual movement of material down the slope of a hill

groundwater

water that soaks into the soil and accumulates

overland flow

when the soil cannot keep up with the rain fall, the rain will flow directly into the streams

drainage basin

a stream drains groundwater and overland flow from an area

discharg

the volume of water tha astream carries per unit of time

drainage density

combined length of all of the stream channels in a basin, divided by the area of he drainage basin

sediment transport

the movement of material in a stream

floodplain

is anearly level surface at he bottom of hte valley trhrough which the stream is flowing

meander

a stream tends to change directions from side to side which contributes to widening he channel

grade

a graded stream transports exactly as much sediment as it has collected

delta

where a river enters the sea, the water velocity drops abruptly and the sediment may form a large are of deposited sediment

alluvial fan

a prominent land-form in many deserts, broad, gently sloping deposit formed from sand and gravel where a fast moving stream emerges from a narrow canyon onto a broad valley floor

glaciers

high mountain areas are currently covered with thick layers of moving ice

alpine glaciers

form wherever snow accumulates year after year without melting

continental glaciers

over 3 kilometer thick cover vast areas of Greenland and Antarctica

moraines

when a glacier rapidly melts dropping large quantities of material forming moraines

terminal moraine

is a ridge of material dumped at the end of the glacier

outwash plain

meltwater leaving a glacier deposits, some of the debris close the the glacier in a broad gently sloping plain

dunes

sand accumulates because of wind

desert pavement

after sand is eroded from the soil surface larger rocks, pebbles and gravel are left behind

loess

thick layers of windblown silt

wavelength

a small ripple ravels very slowly

tsunamui

which is an extremely long wave created by an underwater earthquake

longshore current

traveling parallel to the shore

longshore transport

longshore current is like a river carrying sediment, from areas where it is eroded by waves and depositing it where breaking waves lose the energy to carry it usually in deep water

marine terrace

former shore lines that are now above sea level