Weathering, Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rocks
About this set
Created by:
kircampbell on March 6, 2011
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.
Order by
60 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 The Rock Cycle | the processes by which rock is formed, modified, transported, decomposed, and reformed as a result of the Earth's internal and external processes. |
| Weathering | The chemical and physical breakdown of rocks exposed to air, moisture, and organic matter. |
| Regolith | The loose layer of broken rock and mineral fragments on the Earth's surface. |
| Mechanical Weathering | rock is physically broken up, but there is no change in the mineral content or chemical composition. |
| Chemical Weathering | the decomposition of rocks and minerals as a result of chemical and biochemical reactions. |
| Hydrolysis | A type of chemical weathering that is leads to the change in silicate minerals to salt and clays. |
| Oxidation | A type of chemical weathering that alters iron and manganese by exposure to oxygen. |
| Quartz | is very resistant to weathering and does not dissolve quickly or have an ion exchange. |
| Rock Structure | If there are many cracks or joints in a rock, water can get in and weather rocks more quickly through its |
| Soil | The uppermost part of the regolith, the part that supports rooted plant life. |
| Humus | Partially decayed organic matter. |
| Soil Horizons | A succession of zones within a soil profile with distinct physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. |
| Soil Profiles | The sequence of soil horizons down to the bedrock. |
| Erosion | The transportation of regolith from one place to another and abrasion of the Earth's surface by materials being transported. |
| Mass Wasting | Downslope movement of regolith and/or bedrock masses due to the pull of gravity. |
| Saltation | Sediments moving by bouncing off of each other. |
| Erosion by water | Sediments carried in the suspended load(small) and the bed load(large). |
| Erosion by wind | Wind cannot move sediments that are as large as water can carry. Sorts sediment better than water. |
| Erosion by ice | sediment carried by glaciers and carves groves in the bedrock. |
| Falls | A sudden vertical drop of rock fragments and debris. |
| Slide | Rapid displacement of mass movement down a planar slope. |
| Slump | a rotational movement of rock. |
| Flow | Any mass wasting process that involves flowing of mass regolith. |
| Creep | Imperceptibly slow downslope flow of regolith. |
| Frost Heaving | Uplift of surface rock and regolith as a result of the freezing of subsurface water to form ice. |
| Sedimentary Rocks | produced from weathering products of pre-existing rocks or accumulated biological matter. |
| Detrital | rocks produced from rock fragments. |
| Chemical | rocks produced by precipitation of dissolved ions in water. |
| Organic | rocks produced by accumulation of biological debris, such as swamps or bogs. |
| Sediment | loose, solid particles originating from weathering and erosion of pre-existing rocks. |
| Transportation | Movement of sediment away from its source. Typically by water, wind, or ice. |
| Deposition | Settling and coming to rest of transported material. |
| Preservation | Sediment must be preserved, as by burial with additional sediments, in order to become and sedimentary rock. |
| Lithification | The processes of changing sediment to sedimentary rock. |
| Clastic Rocks | Classified by grain size and shape. Ex. Breccia, Conglomerate, Sandstone, and Shale. |
| Conglomerate | Round grains |
| Breccia | Angular grains |
| Sandstone | sand-sized grains |
| Shale | smaller than sand-sized grains |
| Evaporates | Chemical sediments that form when water evaporates. |
| Precipitates | Iron-rich siliceous sediments precipitated out of anoxic sea water more than 18 billion years ago. |
| Biogenic rocks | Limestones, Chert, Peat, and Coal |
| Stream Sediment | Carry a lot of sediments in every size of clast. Deposits can be well to poorly sorted, to graded beds. |
| Lake Sediment | Generally well-sorted sediments or graded beds in deltas that form when streams flow into a lake. |
| Glacial Sediment | generally poorly-sorted and angular. |
| Eolian Sediments | Wind blown sediments. Best sorted sediments because only smallest grains are carried by normal winds. |
| Metamorphism | The mineralogical, chemical, and structural adjustments of solid rocks to physical and chemical conditions at depths below the region of sedimentation and diagenesis. |
| Foliation | the alignment of minerals in metamorphic rocks. |
| Slaty cleavage | The quality that causes low grade metamorphic rocks to part or split along a plain. |
| Schistocity | When the oriented mica grains are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. |
| Effects of Temperature | As temp increases the minerals that grow are different. |
| Contact Metamorphism | occurs when rocks are heated and chemically changed by the intrusion of a body of hot magma. |
| Shock Metamorphism | occurs in a shock such as an asteroid. |
| Burial Metamorphism | sedimentary rocks that are deeply buried (>10 km) in trenches are altered. |
| Regional Metamorphism | of an extensive area of the crust as a result of the stresses and high temps associated with plate convergence, collision, and subduction. |
| Index Minerals | minerals that form at specific pressures and temperatures. |
| Isograds | lines on maps of occurence of index mineral assemblages. |
| Foliated Rocks | Slate, Phyllite, Schist and Gneiss |
| Slightly Foliated | Amphibolite, Granulite, Blueschist, Eclogite |
| Non-foliated | Marble and Quartzite |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.