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Weathering and Erosion Vocab!!

Terms in this set (35)

Weathering
The breaking down of rocks and other materials on the Earth's surface by chemical or physical means.
Erosion
The process by which wind, water, ice or gravity move rocks or other materials around on the Earth's surface.
Deposition
The process by which rocks settle after being moved around by erosion.
Chemical Weathering
The process that breaks down rocks into smaller pieces through chemical changes.
Mechanical Weathering
The process of breaking down a rock into smaller pieces by physical means.
Soil Erosion
The movement of soil (usually by wind or water).
Terraces
Step-like ledges cut into mountains to make land suitable for farming (prevents soil erosion).
Roots
Planting trees prevents soil erosion because their _________ give the soil something to hold on to.
Crop Rotation
Planting different crops at different times to avoid drying out your soil.
Windbreaks
Rows of large trees or bushes planted between fields to help block the wind and prevent soil erosion.
Contour Plowing
Plowing fields along the curves of a slope (based on elevation) to prevent soil loss.
Abrasion
A form a mechanical weathering that occurs when rocks scrape or break other rocks.
Ice Wedging
A form of mechanical weathering that occurs when water seeps into cracks in rocks, freezes and then expands enough to break it.
Exfoliation
A form of mechanical weathering that occurs when rocks break off in sheets after being relieved of pressure. Granite does this when it goes from being underground (lots of pressure) to above ground (not so much pressure).
Thermal Expansion
A form of mechanical weathering that occurs when rocks are in areas that get really hot during the day and really cold at night - this makes them expand and contract a little bit every day and eventually they break.
Salt Wedging
A form of mechanical weathering that occurs when salt water finds its way into cracks in a rock. The water eventually evaporates, the salt stays behind, and then the salt crystallizes (and expands) enough to break the rock.
Weathered Rocks
One ingredient of soil (Hint: It's another way of saying sediment)
Decomposed Organic Material
One ingredient of soil (Hint: It's a fancy way of saying dead/rotten plants and animals)
Topsoil
The uppermost layer of soil that contains more humus than any other layer (which makes it the most fertile layer of soil).
Subsoil
The layer of soil beneath the topsoil that contains mostly clay and other minerals (not much humus here).
Leaching
The process by which water takes humus from one layer of soil down to the next - this is the only way that the lower soil horizons can get humus!
Dams
Man-made structures that hold back the water of a river or stream; also used to collect hydroelectric energy.
Levees
High walls or hills that are built on both sides of a river to make sure it doesn't flood the surrounding area.
Oxidation
A form of chemical weathering in which a substance (like iron) combines with oxygen to form rust.
Acid Rain
An agent of chemical weathering that is formed when pollution in the atmosphere combines with rain drops.
Hydrolysis
A form of chemical weathering that breaks down rocks as they react with water.
Dry
Rocks located in this type of climate tend to break down more slowly.
Wet
Rocks located in this type of climate tend to break down more quickly.
Plants
Not long after these die do they turn into humus and become part of the soil.
Delta
A land-form made of sediment that is deposited where a river flows into an ocean or lake.
Load
The amount of sediment carried by a stream or river.
Strip Mining
This process involves stripping off the vegetation, soil, and rock layers in an area so that minerals can be more easily removed from the ground. (This CAUSES or INCREASES soil erosion)
Deforestation
This process involves cutting down all of the trees in an area. (This CAUSES or INCREASES soil erosion)
Development
This process involves building houses or other structures on slopes that can barely support them. (This CAUSES or INCREASES soil erosion)
Landslides
These are created by the mass movement of soil, rocks, or snow down a slope due to the force of gravity.
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