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Definition
| A weak acid (H2CO3) that forms from the reaction of water and carbon dioxide. Most rain water is a very weak carbonic acid solution formed by the reaction of rain with small amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. |
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Term
chemical weathering [image] |
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Definition
| The breaking down of surface rock material by solution or chemical alteration. Common alteration processes are oxidation and hydrolysis. |
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Term
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Definition
| Soil creep is a very, very slow form of mass wasting. It's just a slow adjustment of soil and rocks that is so hard to notice unless you can see the effects of the movement. These effects would be things like fenceposts shifted out of alignment, or telephone poles tipping downslope. Another effect is the way a grass covered slope seems to ooze downhill forming little bulges in the soil. This heaving of the soil occurs in regions subjected to freeze-thaw conditions. The freeze lifts particles of soil and rocks and when there is a thaw, the particles are set back down, but not in the same place as before. |
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Term
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Definition
| A general term applied to the wearing away and movement of earth materials by gravity, wind, water and ice. |
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Term
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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
| A chemical reaction involving water that results in the breakdown of mineral material. |
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Term
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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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Definition
| Movement of earth material can be so slow that it is imperceptible to the human eye, or move at tremendous speeds, covering or destroying all in its path. Here you will investigate the processes that mobilize earth materials and the surface changes that result from weathering, erosion, and mass movement. |
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Term
mechanical weathering [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
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Definition
| the material that soil develops from, and may be rock that has decomposed in place, or material that has been deposited by wind, water, or ice. The character and chemical composition of the parent material plays an important role in determining soil properties, especially during the early stages of development. |
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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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