Weathering and Mass Wasting
This term refers to the mechanical processes that break down rock at Earth's surface without chemical alteration.
What is Physical Weathering?
This boundary line separates different drainage basins or watersheds.
What is a Drainage Divide?
This general term refers to any rock or sediment deposited by running water.
What is Alluvium?
This term describes seawater with a salinity level significantly higher than the average 3.5%
What is Brine?
These are the Processes at work in the Exogenic System.
What are Gradational Processes?
This specific type of physical weathering occurs when water enters cracks in rock, freezes, and expands
What is Frost Action (or Frost Wedging)?
This is the most common drainage pattern, resembling the branching of a tree.
What is Dendritic Pattern?
Located on the outside bend of a meandering curve, this feature is created by active erosion.
What is a Cut-Bank?
This coastal feature is a narrow ridge of sand that projects into a bay or the open sea from the land.
What is a Spit?
This is a man-made wall built perpendicular to the shore to trap sand and prevent beach erosion.
What is a Groin?
This type of mass wasting involves the extremely slow, downslope movement of soil.
What is Soil Creep?
This specific drainage pattern occurs when streams flow off a central peak, such as a volcano.
What is Radial Pattern?
This crescent-shaped body of water is formed when a meander is cut off from the main river channel.
What is an Oxbow Lake?
This erosional feature is a portion of rock isolated from the mainland, formed after a sea arch collapses.
What is a Sea Stack?
This is a pair of structures built to protect the entrance of a harbor or river mouth from sediment buildup.
What are Jetties?
This phenomenon occurs when slabs of rock peel off in layers after the removal of overlying pressure, often creating dome-shaped features.
What is Exfoliation (or Pressure-Release Jointing)?
This formation occurs when two or more alluvial fans overlap.
What is a Bajada?
This depositional feature forms at the mouth of a river, where it enters the sea.
What is a Delta?
This process involves the bending of wave crests as they approach the shore, focusing energy on headlands.
What is Wave Refraction?
This describes a rock layer or sediment deposit that is impermeable to water, often trapping an aquifer below it.
What is an Aquiclude?
This type of weathering occurs through the help of hydrolysis, where water acts on the corners of rocks to produce new minerals.
What is Spheroidal Weathering?
Both the Nile River and the Colorado River are examples of this type of stream that flows through desert states.
What is an Exotic Stream?
These are meanders that have been rejuvenated, or "down-cut" into deep rock as a result of tectonic uplift or a drop in base level.
What is an Entrenched Meander?
This depositional feature is a ridge of sand or gravel that connects an island to the mainland.
What is a Tombolo?
This specific vegetation type is found growing along the banks of a river or stream.
What is Riparian Vegetation?