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unit 8
Weathering, Erosion, Deposition & Landforms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| weathering | The natural process by which atomspheric and enviormental agents, such as wind, rain, and temperature changes, disintegrate and decompose rocks. |
| Physical weathering | The mechanical breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces that is caused by natural processes and that does not change the chemical compostion of the rock material. |
| abrasion | The process by which rock is reduced in size by the scraping action of other rocks driven by water, wind, and gravity |
| chemical weathering | The chemical breakdown and decompostion of rocks by natural processes in the enviorment. |
| oxidation | A chemical reaction in which a material combines with oxygen to form new material: in geology, oxidation is a form of chemical weathering. |
| acid precipitation | Precipitation, such as rain, sleet, or snow, that contains a high concentration of acids, often because off pollution of the atmosphere |
| erosion | The process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another. |
| depostion | The process in which material is laid down.(Earth science) The change of state from a gas directly to a solid.(physical science) |
| 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 he mouth of a river or stream. |
| alluvial fan | A fan-shaped mass of rock material deposited by a stream when the slop of the land decreases. |
| ground water | The water that is beneath Earth's surface. |
| shoreline | The boundary between land and a body of water. |
| beach | An era 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. |
| barrierisland | 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 | The 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 | A filled or partially filled basin of fresh or salt water surrounded by land. |
| river | A large natural stream of water hat flows across land surfaces within a channel. |
| coastline | A location where land and ocean surface meet. |