Weathering
What is the difference between physical and chemical weathering?
Physical weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces without changing their composition, while chemical weathering changes the rock's composition.
What is a meander?
A broad, C-shaped curve in a river.
What force causes mass wasting?
Gravity.
What are glaciers made of?
Large masses of ice that form on land.
What is erosion?
The movement of sediment from one location to another.
What type of weathering involves tree roots breaking apart rocks?
Physical weathering (root wedging).
What landform is created by a river depositing sediment at its mouth?
A delta.
Name a type of slow-moving mass wasting.
Creep.
What type of glacier forms in mountains?
Alpine glaciers.
What is deposition?
The laying down of sediment in a new location.
How does oxidation affect rocks?
Oxidation combines oxygen with minerals like iron, causing rust and weakening the rock.
What is the main cause of coastal erosion?
Waves crashing onto the shore.
What is a landslide?
The rapid downhill movement of soil, rocks, and boulders.
What is a U-shaped valley, and how is it formed?
A valley carved by a glacier moving through it.
What are constructive processes?
Processes that build up landforms, like deposition.
What is the main agent that causes ice wedging?
Water freezing and expanding in cracks.
How do sand dunes form?
Wind carries and deposits sand when it slows down.
What human activity can increase the risk of mass wasting?
Removing vegetation from slopes.
What is a moraine?
A mound or ridge of unsorted sediment deposited by a glacier.
How do glaciers contribute to both erosion and deposition?
They erode land as they move and deposit sediment when they melt.
Why does chemical weathering happen faster in warm, wet climates?
Heat speeds up chemical reactions, and water is necessary for many chemical processes.
What type of erosion creates caves in limestone regions?
Groundwater erosion caused by acidic water dissolving limestone.
What is talus?
A pile of angular rocks and sediment from a rockfall.
What is an outwash plain?
A flat area of well-sorted sediment deposited by meltwater from a glacier.
What natural forces drive weathering, erosion, and deposition?
Gravity, water, wind, and ice.