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Unit 8 vocabulary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Weathering | The entire process by which atmospheric and environmental 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 composition of the rock material |
| abrasion | The process by which rock is reduced in size by the scraping action of other rocks driven by water, ice, wind and gravity. |
| chemical weathering | The 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 |
| 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, or ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another |
| deposition | The process in which materials 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 of 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 |
| shorline | 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 |
| glacal 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 that flows across land surfaces within a channel |
| coastline | A location where land and ocean surface meet |