Term
carbonic acid [image][image] |
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Definition
A mild acid formed when water and carbon dioxide chemically combine in the atmosphere and soil.This acid is a very important component in the development of cave decorations (speleothems). |
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Term
chemical weathering [image][image] |
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Definition
| The process that changes the chemical makeup of a rock or mineral at or near the Earth’s surface. Chemical weathering alters the internal structure of minerals by the removing and/or adding elements. Compare with mechanical weathering. |
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Term
Creep Erosion [image][image] |
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Definition
| The slowest form of mass movement, measured in millimeters or centimeters per year and occurring on virtually all slopes. cross bed A bed made up of particles dropped from a moving current, as of wind or water, and marked by a downward slope that indicates the direction of the current that deposited them. |
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Term
[image]exfoliation [image] |
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Definition
| A physical weathering process in which concentric layers of rock are removed from an outcrop. |
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Term
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Definition
| The process by which particles of rock and soil are loosened, as by weathering, and then transported elsewhere, as by wind, water, ice, or gravity. |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of chemical weathering in which ions from water replace equivalently charged ions from a mineral, especially a silicate. |
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Term
ice wedging [image] [image] |
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Definition
When water infiltrates fractures in rock and freezes, the force of expansion is great enough to break
the rock into smaller pieces. |
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Term
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Definition
| A downslope movement of rock and soil over a failure surface and under the influence of gravity. Slumps, earthflows, debris flows and debris slides are examples. |
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Term
mass movement [image][image] |
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Definition
| A general term used for any downslope movement of rock, soil, snow or ice under the influence of gravity. Includes: landslides, creep, rock falls and avalanches. |
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Term
mechanical weathering [image][image] |
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Definition
| A general term applied to a variety of weathering processes that result in the particle size reduction of rock materials with no change in composition. Frost action, salt crystal growth and pressure relief fracturing are examples. Also known as physical weathering. |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of mass movement composed mainly of clay-size materials with a high enough water content that it flows readily. |
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Term
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Definition
| A chemical reaction in which substances combine with oxygen. For example, the combination of iron with oxygen to form an iron oxide. |
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Term
| parent material [image][image] |
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Definition
| The source from which a given soil is chiefly derived, generally consisting of bedrock or sediment. |
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Term
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Definition
| the soil that is remaining after the soluble elements have been dissolved |
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Term
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Definition
| The top few meters of regolith, generally including some organic matter derived from plants. |
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Term
soil erosion [image][image] |
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Definition
Soil erosion is a two-phase process:
Detachment of individual particles from soil aggregates
Transport of particles by erosive agents - wind or water.
Particles are eventually deposited to form new soils or to fill lakes & reservoirs
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Term
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Definition
The layer or bed of earth beneath the topsoil. |
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Term
Soil Profile [image][image] |
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Definition
| A vertical strip of soil stretching from the surface down to the bedrock and including all of the successive soil horizons. |
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Term
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Definition
| The upper part of the soil. |
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Term
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Definition
| Layers of rocks that are catagorized from top-A to the low-D and so on. |
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Term
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Definition
| The physical, chemical, and biological processes by which rock is broken down into smaller pieces. |
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Term
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Definition
| An aquifer is a body of permeable rock or sediment through which groundwater passes or is trapped. Wells are generally drilled into aquifers to ensure a regular supply of water. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| All methods of water moving from a liquid to water vapor in nature. Includes both evaporation and transpiration. |
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Term
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Definition
| A hot spring that intermittently erupts a spray of steam and hot water. Caused by the heating of ground water within a confined opening in hot rock. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
A rock, that will not allow fluids to migrate through it, is impermeable. Most shales are impermeable. Impermeable rock can form a barrier or seal preventing the escape of petroleum. |
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Term
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Definition
| Permeability is the degree to which a rock will allow the passage of fluids. The permeability of a rock is dependent upon how well the pore spaces are connected. If a rock is not permeable, oil or water cannot pass through it. |
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Term
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Definition
| Porosity is the percentage of a rock's total volume that is pore space. Good porosity in a rock indicates a large amount of pore space and an ability to hold large amounts of fluid. |
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Term
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Definition
| Water added to an aquifer or other water body. An aquifer is recharged by precipitation in an area where the aquifer has a porous connection to the surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| condition of having rainfall greater than the need for moisture when the soil is already saturated |
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Term
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Definition
the condition where plants draw water from soil at times when the need for moisture is greater than the rainfall |
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Term
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Definition
| describes the income and the spending of water in a region. |
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Term
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Definition
| The movement of water between the atmosphere, ground and surface water bodies through the processes of evaporation, precipitation, infiltration, percolation, transpiration and runoff. Also known as the "hydrologic cycle". |
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Term
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Definition
| A level beneath the Earth's surface, below which all pore spaces are filled with water and above which the pore spaces are filled with air. The top of the zone of saturation in a subsurface rock, soil or sediment unit. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A form of mechanical weathering that occurs when loose fragments or particles of rocks and minerals that are being transported, as by water or air, collide with each other or scrape the surfaces of stationary rocks. |
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Term
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Definition
| A triangular deposit of sediment left by a stream that has lost velocity upon entering a broad, relatively flat valley. |
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Term
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Definition
| The lowest level to which a stream can erode the channel through which it flows, generally equal to the prevailing global sea level. |
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Term
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Definition
| A body of coarse particles that move along the bottom of a stream. |
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Term
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Definition
| A measure of the total amount of sediment in a stream and the size of the particles being moved by the stream. |
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Term
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Definition
| A deposit of sediment that forms where a stream enters a standing body of water such as a lake or ocean. The name is derived from the Greek letter "delta" because these deposits typically have a triangular shape in map view. |
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Term
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Definition
| The volume of water in a flowing stream that passes a given location in a unit of time. Frequently expressed in cubic feet per second or cubic meters per second. Calculated by the formula Q = A x V where Q is the discharge, A is the cross sectional area of the channel and V is the average velocity of the stream. |
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Term
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Definition
| A ridge that separates two adjacent drainage basins. |
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Term
| drainage basin or watershed |
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Definition
| The geographic area that contributes runoff to a stream. It can be outlined on a topographic map by tracing the points of highest elevation (usually ridge crests) between two adjacent stream valleys. Also referred to as a "watershed". |
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Term
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Definition
| A sudden rush of water, usually caused by a single cloudburst over the narrow valley of a young mountian stream. |
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Term
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Definition
| The flat land that surrounds a stream and becomes submerged when the stream overflows its banks. |
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Term
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Definition
A very small channel formed by running water. Gullies hold water for brief periods of time after a rain storm or snow melt. |
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Term
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Definition
| The weather away of land at the head of a gully or a stream valley. |
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Term
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Definition
| A long continuous ridge built by people along the banks of a stream to contain the water during times of high flow. Natural levees can also be built along the banks of a stream. When the flood water decelerates upon leaving the channel, sediments quickly drop out of suspension and build a ridge over time. |
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Term
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Definition
Meanders are semicircular curves that develop in a stream as it erodes sediment from the high energy outer bank region of a curve and deposits it in the lower energy, inner bank region. |
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Term
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Definition
| A crescent-shaped body of standing water formed from a single loop that was cut off from a meandering stream, typically by a flood that allowed the stream to flow through its floodplain and bypass the loop. |
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Term
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Definition
| A cylindrical or hemispherical hold in the bedrock of a stream that is formed from the continual swirling motion of sand and gravel by swirling currents. |
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Term
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Definition
| A chemical weathering process in which a material is dissolved. Also, the transport of dissolved ions by the water of a stream. |
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Term
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Definition
| The diversion of the upper part of one stream by the headward growth of another stream. |
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Term
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Definition
| The state in which rock materials carried by a river are stirred up and kept from sinking by the turbulence of stream flow. |
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Term
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Definition
| A pass in a mountain ridge through which a stream flows. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Sharp divide that separates two adjoining cirques. |
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Term
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Definition
| Breaking off and floating away as icebergs of either a tidewater glacier or an ice shelf. Calving is a very efficient form of ablation, thus helps stabilize the extent of ice sheets (like Antarctica) which might otherwise expand continuously from a positive mass budget. |
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Term
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Definition
A bowl-shaped, amphitheater-like depression eroded into the head or the side of a glacier valley. Typically, a cirque has a lip at its lower end. The term is French and is derived from the Latin word circus. |
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Term
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Definition
A continent is a very large (several million square kms) area of the Earth's crust, generally composed of silica-rich rocks and having enough elevation to be predominantly above sea level. |
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Term
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Definition
A crack or series of cracks that open in the surface of a moving glacier in response to differential stresses caused by glacier flow. They range in shape from linear to arcuate, in length from feet to miles. Their orientation may be in any direction with respect to the glacier flow. The deepest crevasses may exceed 100 feet. |
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Term
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Definition
An elongated ridge of glacial sediment sculpted by ice moving over the bed of a glacier. Generally, the down-glacier end is oval or rounded and the up-glacier end tapers. The shape is often compared to an inverted, blunt-ended canoe. Although not common in Alaska, drumlins cover parts of the Eastern and Midwestern United States (Irish). |
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Term
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Definition
A rock of unspecified shape and size, transported a significant distance from its origin by a glacier or iceberg and deposited by melting of the ice. Erratics range from pebble-size to larger than a house and usually are of a different composition that the bedrock or sediment on which they are deposited. |
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Term
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Definition
A meandering, water-deposited, generally steep-sided sediment ridge that forms within a subglacial or englacial stream channel. Its floor can be bedrock, sediment, or ice. Subsequent melting of the glacier exposes the deposit. Generally composed of stratified sand and gravel, eskers can range from feet to miles in length and may exceed 100 feet in height. |
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Term
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Definition
An intermediate stage in the transformation of snow to glacier ice. Snow becomes firn when it has been compressed so that no pore space remains between flakes or crystals, a process that takes less than a year. |
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Term
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Definition
| Glacial trench shape in the shap of a u |
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Term
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Definition
A glacier is a large mass of ice formed by the compaction and recrystallization of snow, moving slowly downslope or outwards in all directions and surviving from year to year. Included are small mountain glaciers and ice sheets covering continents. |
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Term
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Definition
| A high mountain peak that forms when the walls of three or more cirques intersect. |
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Term
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Definition
| An alpine glacier that covers the peak of a mountain. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
An ice sheet is a dome-shaped cover of perennial snow and ice. Ice sheets cover vast areas and are generally greater than 50,000 square kilometres in size. They spread outwards in all directions, covering large parts of continents and dominating the relief of an area. They have a significant modifying effect on the climate. |
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Term
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Definition
A kame is a ridge-like or hilly glacial deposit of coarse sand and gravel formed at the front of a glacier by meltwater streams. |
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Term
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Definition
A kettle is a small depression, often filled with water, that formed in glacial deposits when till was deposited around a large chunk of ice which later melted. |
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Term
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Definition
| A moraine is a landform composed of glacial till; it is deposited at the perimeter (terminal moraine) or the base of an ice sheet (ground moraine). |
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Term
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Definition
| (Inuktitut) An area that is unglaciated, but surrounded by ice. |
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Term
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Definition
| Meltwater-deposited sediment, dominantly sand and gravel, showing increasing rounding and sorting into layers with increasing distance from the ice margin. Often silt-rich, which can be reworked by wind to form loess. |
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Term
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Definition
| A plain of glaciofluvial deposits of stratified drift from meltwater-fed, braided, and overloaded streams beyond a glacier’s morainal deposits. |
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Term
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Definition
An elongated, rounded, asymmetrical, bedrock knob produced by glacier erosion. It has a gentle slope on its up-glacier side and a steep- to vertical-face on the down-glacier side. |
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Term
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Definition
Fine-grained, silt-size sediment formed by the mechanical erosion of bedrock at the base and sides of a glacier by moving ice. When it enters a stream, it turns the stream's color brown, gray, iridescent blue-green, or milky white. Also called Glacier Flour or Glacier Milk. |
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Term
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Definition
| a limit on how far the snow will land |
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Term
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Definition
Multiple, generally parallel, linear grooves, carved by rocks frozen in the bed of a glacier into the bedrock over which it flows. |
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Term
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Definition
An unsorted and unstratified accumulation of glacial sediment, deposited directly by glacier ice. Till is a heterogeneous mixture of different sized material deposited by moving ice (lodgement till) or by the melting in-place of stagnant ice (ablation till). After deposition, some tills are reworked by water. |
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Term
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Definition
| A subtype of alpine glacier or mountain glacier which is longer than it is wide, and flows along the floor of a mountain valley. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A ring-shaped group of coral islands that are surrounded by deep ocean water and that enclose a shallow lagoon. |
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Term
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Definition
| The seaward rush of water down a beach that occurs with a receding wave. |
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Term
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Definition
| A long, narrow island that parallels a shoreline. |
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Term
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Definition
| A reef separated from the mainland by a wide lagoon. |
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Term
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Definition
A beach is an area at the shoreline, composed of unconsolidated rock particles such as sand or pebbles, that extends from the low tide line landward to a zone of bedrock (e.g. cliffs) or permanent vegetation. |
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Term
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Definition
| A shallow, round or trough-shaped depression in sand or dry soil that is formed by wind erosion. The material removed by the wind may also be referred to as "blowout". |
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Term
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Definition
| tiny, colonial sea animals that form a large part of earth's reefs. |
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Term
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Definition
Removal of loose material by wind. |
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Term
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Definition
| A closely-packed surface layer of coarse pebbles and gravel. |
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Term
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Definition
| A storm with strong, steady winds that lft great amounts of siltand clay from topsoil. |
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Term
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Definition
| The length of open water over which a wind blows steadily. |
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Term
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Definition
A glacially eroded or modified U-shaped valley that extends below sea level and connects to the ocean. Filled with seawater, depths may reach more than 1,000 feet below sea level. The largest Alaskan fiords are more than 100 miles long and more than 5 miles wide. Also spelled Fiord. |
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Term
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Definition
| A reef that forms against or near an island or continental coast and grows seaward, sloping sharply toward the sea floor. Fringing reefs usually range from 0.5 to 1.0 or more kilometers in width. |
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Term
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Definition
A shallow , protected areaof water located landward from a sandbar. |
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Term
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Definition
A wind-blown deposit of sediment made mostly of silt-sized grains. |
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Term
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Definition
| An ocean current that flows close and almost parallel to the shoreline and is caused by the rush of waves toward the shore. |
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Term
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Definition
A period is a unit of geological time that is shorter than an era, but longer than an epoch. An example is the Jurassic period. |
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Term
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Definition
| The bending of a seismic wave as it enters a material of different density, or, the bending of a beam of light as it enters a material of different refractive index. |
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Term
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Definition
| A strong, narrow current of high velocity and short duration that flows seaward through the breaker zone. Caused when a build up of water pushed onto the beach by winds and waves returns seaward. |
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Term
sandbar wave height cannot find definition, not on sites nor book |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
Cliff formed at a shoreline by wave erosion undercutting rock followed by collapse. |
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Term
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Definition
| the motion of water pushed up a beach by breaking waves. |
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Term
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Definition
| A vast sea wave caused by the sudden dropping or rising of a section of the sea floor following an earthquake. Tsunami may be as much as 30 meters high and 200 kilometers long, may move as fast as 250 kilometers per hour, and may continue to occur for as long as a few days. |
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Term
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Definition
| A stone that has been flattened and sharpened by wind abrasion. Ventifacts are commonly found strewn across a desert floor. |
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Term
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Definition
| The distance between two succesive wave crests |
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