Weathering and Erosion Processes

Front

What are the processes that occur at or near the Earth's surface that produce changes to landscapes?

Back

Weathering, erosion, mass wasting, and deposition.

Front

What is weathering?

Back

The physical disintegration or alteration of the chemical components of rocks.

Front

What is mechanical weathering?

Back

The physical disintegration and reduction in size of rocks without altering their chemical composition.

Front

What factors affect rocks within the crust?

Back

High pressure, high temperature, no contact with the atmosphere, and little or no water.

Front

What causes frost wedging?

Back

The freeze-thaw action of water between the cracks of rocks.

Front

What is tallus?

Back

The weathered fragments at the base of a hill or mountain.

Front

What occurs during pressure expansion?

Back

A sudden drop of pressure which expands the rock.

Front

What is root wedging?

Back

When roots work themselves into cracks, prying bedrocks apart as they grow.

Front

What is rhizolith?

Back

The term for the root preserved in the rock record.

Front

What causes salt expansion?

Back

Occurs at areas with high evaporation or near a marine environment.