weathering wonders
The breakup of rock due to exposure to the atmosphere.
Answer: What is Weathering?
The loose covering of weathered rock particles and decaying organic matter (humus).
Answer: What is Soil?
The downslope movement of soil and weathered rock caused by the force of gravity.
Answer: What is Mass Movement?
The percentage of Earth's surface water that is fresh water.
Answer: What is less than 3%?
A bend or curve in a stream channel caused by moving water.
Answer: What is a Meander?
This type of weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces without changing their chemical composition.
Answer: What is Mechanical Weathering?
This term refers to a vertical sequence of soil layers.
Answer: What is a Soil Profile?
The slow, steady, downhill flow of loose, weathered earth materials.
Answer: What is Creep?
The percentage of a material's volume that is made up of pore space.
Answer: What is Porosity?
A triangular deposit that forms where a stream enters a large body of water.
Answer: What is a Delta?
The chemical reaction of oxygen with other substances, often resulting in "rusting."
Answer: What is oxidation
A distinct layer within a soil profile.
Answer: What is a Soil Horizon?
This occurs when particles rub against the surface of rocks or other materials.
Answer: What is Abrasion?
The rate at which water or other liquids pass through a material.
Answer: What is Permeability?
This type of "dripstone" hangs specifically from the ceiling of a cave.
Answer: What is a Stalactite?
The mechanical process where outer rock layers are stripped away.
Answer: what is exfoliation
Soil that has been moved to a location by wind, glaciers, or rivers.
Answer: What is Transported Soil?
The lowering of land surface resulting from the wind’s removal of surface particles.
Answer: What is Deflation?
An underground area of permeable sediment and rock that groundwater flows through.
Answer: What is an Aquifer?
The layer of a river consisting of heavy sediment that moves along the bottom.
Answer: What is Bedload?
A chemical process where minerals absorb water and turn into clay.
Answer: What is hydrolysis
The original "parent material" (often bedrock) from which a soil is formed.
Answer: What is Bedrock?
The process by which water freezes in rock cracks and expands, eventually breaking the rock.
Answer: What is Frost Wedging?
The upper surface of the zone of saturation.
Answer: What is the Water Table?
An area of land where all rainwater and melting snow drains into the same lake or river.
Answer: What is a Watershed?