Weathering & Erosion
This geological process breaks down rocks into smaller pieces through physical or chemical means.
What is weathering?
Bits of weather rock (basically dead soil).
What is Dirt?
Groundwater is stored in these underground layers of permeable rock or sediment.
What is aquifers?
This term refers to the movement of water from the surface to the atmosphere and back again.
What is the hydrologic cycle?
This type of rock is primarily responsible for the development of karst topography.
What is limestone?
The process where materials are transported by wind, water, or ice from one location to another.
What is erosion?
Dirt mixed with organic material.
What is soil?
The top surface of the groundwater in an aquifer.
What is the water table?
Less than this percentage of Earth’s surface is covered by freshwater.
What is 3 percent?
These natural underground chambers are a common feature of karst landscapes.
What is caves?
A type of weathering caused by the expansion of freezing water in rock cracks.
What is frost wedging?
Mix of weathered rock and humus.
What is topsoil?
This term describes the zone where all the pores in soil and rock are filled with water.
What is the saturated zone?
The largest source of Earth’s freshwater is found in these frozen reservoirs.
What is glaciers and ice caps?
This type of landscape feature forms when a cave roof collapses.
What is a sinkhole?
The process of sediment settling and a phase transition of matter.
What is deposition?
The ability to sustain plant growth.
What is soil fertility?
This property of soil or rock determines how easily water can flow through it.
What is permeability?
Human activities like waste disposal can lead to this type of water contamination.
What is pollution?
The process by which slightly acidic groundwater dissolves limestone, creating karst features.
What is chemical weathering?
The process of rocks getting smoother and rounder by rubbing together.
What is abrasion?
Climate,Tapography,and Time
What is other factors of soil development?
Groundwater can emerge naturally at the surface through these openings.
What is springs?
The process where water is absorbed into the soil and becomes part of the groundwater.
What is infiltration?
Karst topography is commonly found in regions underlain by this type of rock.
What is carbonate rock?