Term
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Definition
The breakdown of rock by physical and chemical reactions with air and water. |
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Term
How do smooth rocks get cracks? |
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Definition
-Naturally occuring from the expanding and contracting from the cooling process -Earthquakes -Lava - as it cools, it contracts, causing cracks |
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Term
These affect the type and rate of weathering. |
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Definition
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Term
Rock breaks down faster in this type of climate. |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
Fractures. Results from tectonic stresses of contracting to to cooling igneous rock. |
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Term
Three types of tectonic stress |
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Definition
Compressive Tensional Shear |
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Term
How is columnar basalt formed? |
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Definition
When the lava cools, in contracts towards a center point, creating a 5 or 6 sided column. |
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Term
What is physical weathering? |
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Definition
The mechanical fragmentation of rocks from stress. |
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Term
What are some types of physical weathering? |
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Definition
-Frost wedging -Thermal weathering -Wetting drying (hydration) -Unloading (exfoliation) -Salt wedging -Biological weathering |
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Term
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Definition
when water gets into a crack, and the freezes, expanding the crack |
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Term
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Definition
The weather changes from hot to cold |
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Term
Wetting drying (hydration) |
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Definition
Absorption of moisture causes swelling. |
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Term
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Definition
Expanding after heavy loads are removed, or the expanding removes some rock. |
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Term
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Definition
Water settles into the cracks, evaopartes, but leaves the salt behind. Salt crystals grow and shatter the fence post. |
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Term
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Definition
Plant roots can expand cracks. Burrowing animals carrying air and water down into bedrock. |
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Term
What is chemical weathering? |
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Definition
Chemical reactions with minerals that break down rock. |
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Term
Three types of chemical weathering |
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Definition
-Hydrolysis -Oxidation -Dissolution |
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Term
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Definition
A chemical reaction between water and another substance to produce a new compound that is usually weaker than the original |
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Term
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Definition
When oxygen dissolved in water comes into contact with certain rock minerals. |
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Term
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Definition
The process by which a solid, liquid or gas forms a solution in a solvent |
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Term
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Definition
Chemical weathering where limestone bedrock dissolves when it comes in contact with groundwater. |
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Term
What landforms produced from the karst process? |
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Definition
-Sinkholes -speleothem (the caves) -haystack hills -tufa cones |
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Term
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Definition
A cave created thru the karst process. Contains stalactites and stalagmites. |
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Term
How are haystack hills formed. |
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Definition
Over time, sink holes from the karsting process merge together. the ground left behind are known as haystack hills. |
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Term
Name some hydrothermal features. |
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Definition
Geysers Hot springs Fumaroles Tufa cones |
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Term
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Definition
Where groundwater comes in contact with heated igneous rock below the surface. As the water heats, the pressure builds until it blows. |
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Term
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Definition
Where ground water comes in contact with heated igneous rock, but it is not under pressure. |
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Term
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Definition
Like a geyser, but instead of water, it is just steam. |
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Term
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Definition
The result of overflow of warm groundwater. Midway at the Homestead. |
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Term
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Definition
The down slope movement of earth material due to gravity. |
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Term
How does water affect mass wasting? |
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Definition
Water lubricates, makes everything slippery and adds weight. It saturates the soils. |
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Term
Most important factors in slope failure |
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Definition
Saturation of slope material with water
Earthquakes
Freezing and thawing |
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Term
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Definition
Rockfall Slump Earth or mudflow Solifluction Creep |
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Term
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Definition
Cracks in rocks indicate water erosion. Rockfall can be one rock, or lots. Accumulated rocks and the bottom of a cliff is called Talus. |
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Term
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Definition
It creates step-like terraces as it slumps down. |
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Term
Describe earth or mud flow. |
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Definition
Lots of water, like a muddy river. Very moist environment |
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Term
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Definition
Occurs in extremely cold environment, high altitude, in permafrost. The top few inches or feet thaws and starts to slide over the frozen layer. Creates irregular terrain. |
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Term
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Definition
The supercontinent that was made up of all landmasses on the earth |
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Term
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Definition
The north portion of the supercontinent Pangaea. |
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Term
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Definition
The southern portion of the supercontinent Pangaea. |
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Term
Describe Continental Drift. |
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Definition
Alfred Wegner's theory that the continents were drifting across the ocean bed. He recognized the puzzle-like shape of the continents and the plant, wildlife and rock that matched on continents separated by ocean. Unfortunately, he did nt know the mechanism behind the theory and so it was dismissed. |
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Term
Describe Plate Tectonics. |
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Definition
The lithosphere is made up of large plates that shift and move as a result of convection. Plates were dicovered through seafloor mapping and mapping of earthquake patterns. |
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Term
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Definition
Discovered thru Paleomagnetism and Ocean Rock Floor Sampling |
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Term
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Definition
A spot deep in the mantle which leaks hot magma/lava to the the earth's surface. Hot spots do not move. The Hawaiian islands were created by hot spots. Yellowstone has one. |
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Term
What is an accreted terrane? |
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Definition
The addition of material to a plate during the subduction process. Accounts for geologic incongruities between continental interiors. NV, OR, WA all accreted onto the North American Plate. |
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Term
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Definition
Deformation of the earth's crust, particularly thru folding and faulting |
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Term
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Definition
It is the result of compressional forces. Downfold is a syncline, upfold is anticline, monocline does not fold. |
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Term
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Definition
Where the layers of bedrock erode quickly because of folding and looks like a syncline, but is not. |
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Term
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Definition
Rock that has been forcefully broken. Occurs along zones of weakness in the earth's crust. Common in Coastal areas |
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Term
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Definition
Broad domes. Wider than it is tall. Magma is extremly hot and very runny. Gas bubbles rise to the top and are released into the atmosphere. Found over hot spots. Hawaii. |
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Term
Composite or strato volcano |
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Definition
Magma is cooler, thick, pasty and viscous. Bubbles cannot rise so the pressure builds until there is a large explosion. Cone shaped. Mt Pinatubo |
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Term
Name some extrusive volcanic landforms. |
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Definition
Shield or composite volcanoes, and caldera. |
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Term
Name some intrusive volcanis landforms. |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
Magma that cools and solidifies below earths surface. Igneous Intrusive. Usually Granite. |
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Term
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Definition
Magma that gathered in one spot between two sheets of sediment. Pushes the upper layer upward. |
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Term
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Definition
A vertical layer of magma that melted its way up. |
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Term
Wegner's evidences for continental drift. |
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Definition
-Puzzle-like fit of widely separated continents
-Similarity of rock and mountain formations near coastlines of separated continents
-Matching fossils of extinct species on widely separated landmasses |
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Term
Three types of plate boundaries. |
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Definition
Divergent Convergent Transform |
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Term
Describe a divergent plate boundary. |
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Definition
Where the boundaries are being pushed apart. This happens at ocean ridges, were the convection process pushes magma up and pushes the boundaries apart.
Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
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Term
Describe a convergent plate boundary. |
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Definition
Where plates come together. Oceanic plates collide, denser one gets drawn down. Friction causes magma to move up. Unsubducted plate will have island chain. Aleutian Islands.
Oceanic-Continental - Oceanic is more dense, so it will subduct and create a volcanically active mountain range. Cascade Mtn Range.
Continental-Continental - They don't subduct, so they move up, creating mountains. Himalayan Mountains. |
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Term
Describe a transform plate boundary. |
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Definition
The plate are sliding past eachother. San Andreas Fault. |
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Term
Example of landforms assciated with faulting. |
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Definition
Block Mountain Range - the Wasatch Range.
Horsts and Graben - Great Rift Valley in Africa |
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Term
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Definition
The volume rate of water flow. Amazon has greatest discharge. |
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Term
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Definition
A small stream that jons another. Small streams have no tributary. First stream orders are without tributaris. When two first-order dtreams combine, they are called a 2nd order stream.Eighty percent of streams are 1st, 2nd, or 3rd order. |
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Term
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Definition
The trough water travels in. |
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Term
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Definition
All streams transport sediment. Stream-transported sediments are eventually deposited in a river or ocean. |
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Term
Types of fluvial transportation |
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Definition
Dissolved load - salt/minerals Suspended load - clay and silt Bedload - sand and larger |
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Term
Characteristics of bedload |
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Definition
Carries partciles the size of sand or larger. Saltation is the bouncing of sand as it goes down the stream Traction is the process of pushing larger rocks down the stream If a stream doubles in speed it can carry rocks 64x heavier. |
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Term
Name four channel patterns. |
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Definition
Straight Meandering Sinuous Braided |
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Term
Describe how a delta is formed. |
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Definition
As streams dump into the cean, they deposit sediment in theo the sea until the sediment builds up and blocks the stream, rerouting the water. Mississippi River. |
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Term
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Definition
Flat or nearly flat plain adjacent a river. Extends to edges of valley, created by meandering. Floods when river is full. |
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Term
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Definition
A natural or artificial earthen ridge that runs parallel to a river to prevent overflow. |
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Term
Effect of stream gradient. |
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Definition
Higher gradient (steeper) river flow faster, can carry more stuff. |
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Term
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Definition
A small tributary that runs paralle to a larger stream. Will Usually join the larger one. When levees form, it has a harder time eroding through. |
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Term
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Definition
A stream that branches off from the main channel. Usually occurs near an cean or lake. |
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Term
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Definition
A cutoff meander. The water ct through the rock, leaving a u-shaped river. |
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Term
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Definition
Sediment deposited by a stream. |
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Term
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Definition
A ravine between cliffs carved by water. |
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Term
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Definition
A cliff near a river which has not been eroded yet. Erosional landform |
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Term
Where will you find a sand bar or point bar? How is it created? |
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Definition
On the inside of a meandering stream.The water inside the curve is mving slower, so it deposits some of its sedimentry content. |
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Term
The difference between perennial and ephemeral streams. |
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Definition
Ephemeral streams are occaisional, they don't flow all year. Perennial streams run al year. |
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Term
Erosional and depositional dynamics of river meanders. |
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Definition
As meanders curve, they erode the outer edges and deposit on the inner edges. |
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Term
What are paired terraces? |
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Definition
Terrace at opposite sides of a river that match in height. Reflects where the river bed was before it cut down into the earth. Erosional. |
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Term
What is an entrenched meander? |
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Definition
The same as incised. It cuts down into the earth. |
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Term
Describe a knickpoint retreat. |
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Definition
The river bed is resistant to erosion, be the earth underneath that layer is not. At water falls, the water erodes the less resistant layer, causing the bed layer to fall because it has no support. Niagara Fals used to retreat 3 feet per year. Now it is closer three inches every decade. They rerouted the water for energy. |
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Term
Subduction zone island chains |
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Definition
Oceanic subducting: Aleutian Islands |
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