Weathering
The general term for the natural process of breaking down rocks into smaller pieces
What is WEATHERING
Decayed organic matter found mostly in the top layer of soil
What is Humus
The general term for the process of setting down weathered particles in a new location
What is deposition?
Water freezing in cracks in the road creating potholes is a form of this
What is frost wedging or ice wedging?
Carbon dioxide in the air combines with water to form a weak acid that is the primary reason that caves form.
What is carbonation (carbonic acid)?
The physical breakdown of rocks without changing chemical composition
What is mechanical (or physical) weathering
The layer of the soil profile that the soil of that area is made from.
What is parent material?
The dust storms seen in the great dust bowl were an example of this.
What is wind erosion?
A tree root causing a basement to leak is a form of this
What is organic activity?
Anytime a material with iron is exposed to our atmosphere you will see this
What is oxidation?
The change in the chemical composition of rocks
What is Chemical Weathering
The layer of soil under the layer of topsoil.
What is the subsoil?
Too much water (as in rain) and gravity can lead to this
What are landslides?
A glacier scraping a stone is a form of this
What is abrasion?
The break of rock due to the chemical interaction of the water molecules
What is hydrolysis?
Affects the rate of weathering, faster in hot/wet areas and slower in cold/arid areas
What is climate
The lowest layer of the soil profile, made of solid rock.
What is bedrock?
The Grand Canyon was largely formed due to the Colorado river
What is an example of water erosion?
igneous rock breaks off in large sheets when released from the pressure of being buried deep in the earth
What is exfoliation
This is formed almost exclusively due to human pollution, causing a stronger than naturally formed acids to be created
What is acid precipitation?
This is why some rocks wear away faster than other rocks, mostly depends on the hardness of the rock
What is differential weathering?
The practice of making flat steplike areas in a hillside for farming to hold the rainwater
What is terracing
The ridge left behind, denoting the edge of the glacier.
What is a morraine?
this is seen most often in desert areas due to the extreme changes in temperature between the day and night
What is thermal expansion
Some plants produce weak acids which can cause weathering
What is plant acids