Vocabulary
Small, solid pieces of material that come from rocks or remains of organisms; they are moved by erosion.
Sediment
What principle says geologic processes operating today also operated in the past?
Uniformitarianism
What is deposition?
When agents of erosion drop or lay down sediment
What is runoff?
Water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking in.
What two processes by glaciers erode land?
Plucking and Abrasion
The process by which water, ice, wind, or gravity moves weathered particles away.
Erosion
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering creates the sediment, erosion carries the sediment.
What forms when wind meets an obstacle and deposits sand?
A sand dune
How do rills and gullies relate to each other?
Rills are tiny grooves that join to form gullies.
What is glacial till?
The mixture of sediments deposited directly by a glacier.
The wind process that removes surface materials by lifting and carrying away the smallest particles.
Deflation
Give two causes of mechanical weathering.
Freezing
Thawing
Release of pressure
Plant growth
Actions of animals
Human activities
Match particle behavior to size: fine, medium, large
Fine — carried through the air; Medium — skip or bounce; Large — slide or roll
Why does a waterfall move upstream over time?
Erosion removes softer rock below and undercuts the harder rock, causing retreat
How does longshore drift change a coastline?
Waves hitting at an angle move sediment parallel to the shore, forming sandbars and barrier islands.
The flat, wide area of land beside a river that can be covered during floods.
Flood plain
Name two agents that cause chemical weathering.
Water
Oxygen
Carbon dioxide
Living organisms
Acid rains
Name two landforms produced by deposition of water-sediment
Delta and alluvial fan
Explain how a floodplain becomes fertile (good for farming).
Floodwaters deposit nutrient-rich sediment as they slow and retreat.
Name two landforms created by glaciers.
Moraine and kettle/kettle lake
The movement of water and sediment along a beach caused by waves hitting at an angle.
Longshore drift
Explain how climate affects the rate of weathering.
Wet climates speed chemical weathering; cold, wet climates with freeze-thaw cycles speed mechanical weathering; rock type also affects rate
Describe one example of mass movement and whether it is fast or slow.
Creep — slow; Landslide/mudflow or slump— fast
Describe how a delta forms.
River water slows when entering a lake or ocean and drops sediment, building up a delta.
Compare how glaciers and waves wear down Earth’s surface.
Both use moving water (ice or liquid) to abrade and carry away rock; glaciers pluck and drag large rocks, waves abrade and move sediment along shorelines.