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Download Mechanical weathering - occurs when physical forces break rock
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Transcript
Weathering and Erosion Mechanical weathering - occurs when physical forces break rock into smaller and smaller pieces without changing the rock’s mineral composition. Frost wedging - the mechanical breakup of rock caused by the expansion of freezing water in cracks and crevices Talus large piles of sediment which typically form a cone shaped deposit at the base of steep, rocky cliffs. Unloading - Reduced pressure on igneous rock allowing the rock to expand caused by the removal of large amounts of over burden rock. Exfoliation - a process where slabs of the outer edge of an expanding igneous rock break off in layers or sheets. Biological activity - the activity of organisms, including plants, burrowing animals, and humans, that cause mechanical weathering. Chemical weathering - the transformation of rock into one or more new compounds. Spheroidal Weathering – the process which causes the corners and edges of rock to be more rounded. Differential Weathering - caused by variations in mineral composition, rock weathers unevenly to create unusual and spectacular rock formations and landforms. Soil - part of the regolith that supports the growth of plants. It has four major components: mineral matter, or broken-down rock; humus, which is the decayed remains of organisms; water; and air Regolith - the layer of rock and mineral fragments that covers most of Earth’s land surface. Loam - a mixture of all three soil sizes. Best suited for plant life. Parent material – the sediments that soil formed in place. Residual soil - parent material for that soil is the bedrock directly below it. Transported soil - parent material for that soil has been carried from elsewhere and deposited Soil horizons are zones or layers of soil. Soil profile is a vertical section through all the soil horizons. Pedalfer - common type of soil developed under forest vegetation with iron oxides and aluminum-rich clays in the B horizon. Pedocal - common type of soil developed with drier grasslands with abundant calcium carbonate. Laterite - common type of soil developed in hot, wet, tropical climates with intense chemical weathering. Mass movement - the transfer of rock and soil down slope due to gravity. Rockfall - occurs when rocks or rocks fragments fall freely through the air. Rockslides - segments of bedrock moves suddenly along a flat, inclined surface. Slump - the downward movement of a block of material along a curved surface. Mudflows – rapid movement of a mixture of soil, rock, and water that has a consistency of wet concrete. Earthflows - relatively slow down hill movements of material containing a large amount of water and clay-rich sediment. Creep - is the very slow, downhill movement of soil and regolith.