Rivers
This term refers to the volume of water flowing through a river at any given time; it is a key factor in a river's erosive power.
What is discharge
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?
These are 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)?
This term refers to the entire area of land that is drained by a specific river and all of its tributaries.
What is a Drainage Basin (or Watershed)?
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 term refers to the volume of loose, weathered material sitting on top of bedrock that is susceptible to moving downhill.
What is unconsolidated material?
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?
This type of mechanical weathering involves water entering cracks, freezing, and expanding by 9%.
What is frost shattering?
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?
Water acts as this, filling spaces between particles and reducing friction, which often leads to mudslides.
What is a lubricant
This is the characteristic "winding" shape that a river takes on during its mature and old-age stages as it begins to erode sideways.
What is a meander?
This geomorphic process occurs when tectonic uplift or a drop in sea level gives an old river new energy to cut deeper into the land.
What is river rejuvenation
This mechanical process occurs when granite formed deep underground reaches the surface and expands due to the release of pressure
What is exfoliation?
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 term describes the gradational process of "filling in" low spots with sediment to create a uniform slope.
What is aggradation?
This term describes a river system that looks like a tangled mess of interconnected channels, often found in areas with high sediment loads and variable flow.
What is a braided river?
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?
What type of terrain/area would most likely rely on the use of groundwater?
Areas with no mountains.
This famous 1903 event in Alberta is a primary example of how tectonic instability can trigger massive mass wasting.
When was the Frank Slide?
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?