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Unit 8 Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| weathering | The process by which natural forces break down rocks. |
| Physical weathering | The breakdown of rock into smaller pieces of the same material without and change in its composition. |
| abrasion | The process by which rock is reduced in size by the scraping action of other rocks driven bby water, wind, and gravity |
| chemical weathering | Chemical breakdown and decomposition of rocks by natural processes in the environment. |
| oxidation | A chemical reaction in which a material combines with oxygen to form new material in geology is a form of chemical weathering. |
| acid precipitation | Precipitation such as rain, sleet, or snow, that contains a high concentration of acids often because of the pollution of the atmosphere |
| erosion | The process by which wind water ice or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another |
| deposition | the process in which material is laid down |
| floodplain | an area along a river that forms from sediments deposited when the river overflows its banks |
| delta | a mass of material deposited in a triangular or fan shape at the mouth of a river or stream |
| alluvial fan | a fan-shaped mass of rock material deposited by a stream when the slope of the land decreases sharply |
| groundwater | the water that is beneath Earth’s surface |
| shoreline | the boundary between land and a body of water |
| beach | an area of the shoreline that is made up of deposited sediment |
| sandbar | a low ridge of sand deposited along the shore of a lake or sea |
| barrier island | a long ridge of sand or narrow island that lies parallel to the shore |
| dune | a mound of wind-deposited sand that moves as a result of the action of wind |
| loess | fine-grained sediments of quartz, feldspar, hornblende, mica, and clay deposited by the wind |
| glacier | a large mass of ice that exists year-round and moves over land |
| glacial drift | the rock material carried and deposited by glaciers |
| creep | he slow downhill movement of weathered rock material ( |
| rockfall | the rapid mass movement of rock down a steep slope or cliff |
| landslide | the sudden movement of rock and soil down a slope |
| mudflow | the flow of a mass of mud or rock and soil mixed with a large amount of water |
| mountain | an area of significantly increased elevation on Earth’s surface, usually rising to a summit |
| lake | filled or partially filled basin of fresh or salt water surrounded by land |
| river | a large natural stream of water that flows across land surfaces within a channel |
| coastline | a location where land and ocean surface meet |