Rivers
This term refers to the entire area of land that is drained by a specific river and all of its tributaries.
What is a watershed (or a drainage basin)
This chemical weathering process happens when oxygen dissolved in water turns iron into iron oxide.
What is oxidation
This is the measure of how much sunlight a surface reflects; it is a key reason why scientists care about melting ice.
What is albedo?
Masses of coarse rock fragments that accumulate at the base of a cliff where a landslide has come to rest.
What are talus slopes (larger rocks) or scree slopes (smaller)?
Name at least 3 of the 4 ways that rivers transport sediment.
What is solution, suspension, saltation, & traction
In Canada's north, this layer of soil remains frozen year-round and prevents water from draining, leading to solifluction.
What is Permafrost?
These bowl-shaped depressions are revealed at the source of a glacier once the ice has melted.
Where are cirques?
This area at the mouth of a river is affected by sea tides, where brackish water forms from saltwater meeting freshwater.
What is an estuary?
This term, formulated by John Powell, describes the point at which a river stops cutting downward and begins widening its valley.
What is base level?
Mechanical weathering involves water entering cracks, freezing, and expanding by 9%.
What is frost shattering? OR
What is the freeze-thaw cycle?
The characteristic "winding" shape that a river takes on during its mature and old-age stages as it erodes sideways.
What is a meander OR an oxbow?
Water acts as this, filling spaces between particles and reducing friction, which often leads to mudslides.
What is a lubricant
This famous landmark was created when tectonic uplift rejuvenated the Colorado River, giving it the energy to carve a massive chasm.
Where is the Grand Canyon
This mechanical process occurs when granite formed deep underground reaches the surface and expands due to the release of pressure
What is exfoliation?
How do scientists describe a system that drives itself (like melting ice lowers albedo, causing more heat absorption and further melting).
What is a positive feedback loop?
This term describes the gradational process of "filling in" low spots with sediment to create a uniform slope.
What is aggradation?
It is the term for the deposited river sediments that form low-lying areas like deltas.
What is alluvium
Tropical soils are often deep and clay-heavy due to this specific chemical process where water ions replace silicate ions.
What is Hydrolysis?
When two valley glaciers join, their inner lateral moraines combine to form this "stripe" of debris in the middle
What is a medial moraine?
This famous 1903 event in Alberta is a primary example of how tectonic instability can trigger massive mass wasting.
When was the Frank Slide?