| Question |
Answer |
| Weathering | the process in which rocks are broken up by the action of water, the atmosphere, and organisms |
| Erosion | the process by which earth materials are moved by natural agents like moving water, wind and ice |
| Deposition | a collection of eroded material such as deposits of sand, dirt, or pebbles |
| Chemical Weathering | the breakdown or decomposition of rock that takes place when minerals are changed into different substances |
| Mechanical weathering | disintegration that takes place when rock is broken into smaller pieces without changing its chemical composition |
| Abrasion | the wearing away of rock by grinding action |
| gradient | a change in elevation over distance |
| oxbow lake | water remaining in an isolated meander in a flood plain |
| meander | a wide curve in a stream channel |
| mouth | the end of a river where it joins a lake or ocean |
| source | the place from which something comes |
| bed | the bottom of the river |
| banks | the sides of the river |
| delta | the fan shaped deposit of sediments at the mouth of a stream |
| waterfall | a steep descent of water from a height |
| Back swamps | swamps that form in the lowest areas of flood plains |
| plunge pool | a deep pool created by a waterfall |
| stream load | the sediments carried by a stream |
| rejuvenate | to make a river younger |
| flood plain | part of the valley floor that may be covered with water during a flood |
| Cut bank | the outer curve of a meander |
| point bar | the inside of a meander where deposition occurs |
| tributary | a small stream of water that feeds a river |
| sand bar | the long ridge of sand collected where water slows down |
| Velocity | the speed and direction of water flow |
| terrace | is a “staircase” carved out by water when a river is changing gradient. |
| sea cliff | a cliff formed at a shoreline by wave erosion undercutting rock followed by a collapse. |
| sea cave | an opening in a sea cliff due to erosion |
| sea arch | a sea cave that has been eroded all the way through, so there is an entrance and an exit. |
| sea stack | a sea arch that has collapsed in the middle |
| bay | a small gulf |
| longshore current | a current that runs parallel to the beach and moves sand down the beach |
| Swash | the motion of water pushed up a beach by breaking waves |
| Backwash | is a gentle current of water that runs down a beach slope under an upcoming wave |
| sandbar | a long ridge of sand collected where water slows down |
| Spit | a line of sand that is attached to land |
| sea wall | a wall or embankment to protect the shore from erosion or to act as a break water |
| Riprap rock | rocks put in a sea cave to slow the erosion of sea cliffs |
| jetty | a wall that causes a buildup of sand due to a longshore current |
| Fetch | an area of open ocean that a wave travels across |
500 Words
