Unit 4 Test Review
Soil horizon B (subsoil)
- less weathered - higher in clay (increases over time) (clay from A deposited) (silt and sand weathering into) - less life - low in organic matter - lighter colored - clay pan- impermeable layer, high in clay - hard pan- impermeable layer, high in iron
Aquifer
A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.
Oxidation
A chemical change in which a substance combines with oxygen, as when iron oxidizes, forming rust
estuary
A habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean.
delta
A landform made of sediment that is deposited where a river flows into an ocean or lake
karst topography
A type of landscape in rainy regions where there is limestone near the surface, characterized by caverns, sinkholes, and valleys
alluvial fan
A wide, sloping deposit of sediment formed where a stream leaves a mountain range
Permeability
Ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it
characteristics of a good aquifer
An aquifer is defined as a body of rock or unconsolidated sediment that has sufficient permeability to allow water to flow through it. Unconsolidated materials like gravel, sand, and even silt make relatively good aquifers, as do rocks like sandstone. Other rocks can be good aquifers if they are well fractured.
watershed
An ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water
Speleothems
Collective term for the dripstone features found in caverns
carbonic acid
H2CO3
Which type of weathering occurs when tree roots break sidewalks?
Interactions with organisms also cause physical weathering. If you've ever seen a sidewalk that has buckled because of a tree root, you've seen this process in action. Roots grow into small spaces and cracks in rock; when they expand, they exert pressure on the rock around them and widen the cracks.
Features of mature stage of a river
Meanders and oxbow lakes
features of an old age river
Old Age: A stage in the development of a landscape when streams have a low gradient (slope) and meander back and forth across broad floodplains. The landscape is marked by meander scars, oxbow lakes, levees, point bars and swamps. Its course is graded to base level and running through a peneplain, or broad flat area
Deposition
Process in which sediment is laid down in new locations.
ice wedging
Process that splits rock when water seeps into cracks, then freezes and expands.
Erosion
Processes by which rock, sand, and soil are broken down and carried away (i.e. weathering, glaciation)
Which type of weathering is wind abrasion?
Rocks break down into smaller pieces through weathering. Rocks and sediment grinding against each other wear away surfaces. This type of weathering is called abrasion, and it happens as wind and water rush over rocks. The rocks become smoother as rough and jagged edges break off
The order of sediment deposition, from 1st to last
Sediment in rivers gets deposited as the river slows down. Larger, heavier particles like pebbles and sand are deposited first, whilst the lighter silt and clay only settle if the water is almost still
Which type of weathering occurs from acidic groundwater making caves
Sometimes, chemical weathering dissolves large portions of limestone or other rock on the surface of the Earth to form a landscape called karst. In these areas, the surface rock is pockmarked with holes, sinkholes, and caves.
zone of saturation
The lower zone where water accumilates between small rock particles.
porosity
The percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces.
chemical weathering
The process that breaks down rock through chemical changes
bedrock
The solid layer of rock beneath the soil
Which factors influence how far sediment is carried in a river
The two main flow factors in sediment transport are the settling rate and the boundary layer shear stress
water table
The upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater
What happens to the water table during a drought
The water level in the aquifer that supplies a well does not always stay the same. ... If a well is pumped at a faster rate than the aquifer around it is recharged by precipitation or other underground flow, then water levels in the well can be lowered. This can happen during drought, due to the extreme deficit of rain
Water table well and artesian well
There are two types of well____________ & ____________.
How does a sea stack/sea stump form
They are formed when part of a headland is eroded by hydraulic action, which is the force of the sea or water crashing against the rock. ... Erosion causes the arch to collapse, leaving the pillar of hard rock standing away from the coast—the stack. Eventually, erosion will cause the stack to collapse, leaving a stump
how do rounded river rocks get their shape?
Transport of pebbles in a stream causes them to collide and rub against one another and the stream bed, and the resulting abrasion produces the familiar smooth and rounded shape of river rocks
Features of youthful stage of a river
Waterfalls, V-shaped valleys, interlocking spurs
type of climate with fastest weathering
Weathering occurs fastest in hot, wet climates
The agents of erosion that cause landslides and mudflows
What causes mass movement and is an agent of erosion? Gravity causes mass movements. Landslides, mudflows, creeps, and slopes are agents of erosion. Running water, glaciers, waves, and wind are glaciers of erosion
the effect of acid rain on limestone rocks
When sulfurous, sulfuric, and nitric acids in polluted air and rain react with the calcite in marble and limestone, the calcite dissolves. In exposed areas of buildings and statues, we see roughened surfaces, removal of material, and loss of carved details
sinkhole
a circular depression formed when the roof of a cave collapses
Which type of weathering is oxidation
chemical
watershed divide
higher elevation (ridge) separating two watersheds
Cone of depression
lowering of the water table around a pumping well
humus
material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter
Salt water intrusion
near the coast, over-pumping of groundwater causes saltwater to move into the aquifer
soil horizon c
parent material
leaching
removal of dissolved materials from soil by water moving downwards
Gulf of Mexico watershed of Virginia
the Gulf of Mexico watershed
flood plain
the flat, wide area of land along a river
physical weathering
the mechanical breakdown of rocks and minerals
Chesapeake Bay watershed of Virginia
the watershed of Chesapeake Bay
North Carolina Sounds watershed
the watershed that Henry Co. is located in
soil profile a
topsoil
zone of aeration
upper soil layers that hold both air and water