Geog 2051 Dohrenwend exam 2
Erosion ANS:The action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or
dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location
Addition of energy
Deposition ANS:Process by which sediments, soil, and rocks are added to a landform or land mass Loss
of energy
(Not to be confused with weathering! These inherently involve movement, while weathering does not!)
Mass Movement/Wasting ANS:• Any unit movement of a body of material propelled
d controlled by gravity
• The movement of rock, soil, or sediment downslope by
gravity (often aided by water)
Colluvium: any unconsolidated material that has
moved due to gravity
Angle of Repose ANS:• The maximum steepness of a pile of sediment before
the sediment begins flowing down the side of the pile.
The coarser the material, the steeper the slope can be
before collapsing.
Falls ANS:Rockfalls and debris avalanches
Rockfalls are more gradual while avalanches are all at once
Slides ANS:Landslides
Sudden, rapid movement of a cohesive mass of bedrock
or regolith that is not saturated with moisture
Flows ANS:Earthflows, mudflows, debris flows
When moisture content of moving material is high
,enough to start a flow (fluid motion)
Rockfalls ANS:• Weathering eventually allows rock to break free from a
slope and fall quickly to the base
These loose colluvial rocks forms what is called talus
• The talus builds up in talus fields or forms talus cones
(depending on the shape of the mountain range)
Earthflows & Mudflows ANS:• These involve loose sediment and very saturated
conditions.
Earthflows involve larger sediment sizes (moves a bit
slower than a mudflow).
• Mudflows involve smaller sediment sizes, allowing it
to move rapidly.
Debris Flow ANS:• Moves very large sediments, as well as mud
• Debris flows move in a very strange manner - like a
solid rolling along the ground like a liquid
Avalanches ANS:• Masses of snow and/or rock that suddenly slide down a
mountainside.
They start at steeper parts of mountains and move
their way down a track that they create for themselves.
Karst topography ANS:Landscapes defined by a dissolution of rock- often
limestone
Caves ANS:Underground voids of rock that are sufficiently large for
people to enter and explore
Drip formations ANS:Stalagmites and Stalactites
Sinkholes ANS:-Form when cave ceilings collapse -Famous in Florida
, Karst Formations ANS:Water drips through crevices in
rocks and moves horizontally along
underground joints.
Water widens these horizontal areas
as well as vertical joints.
Disappearing streams ANS:Streams can flow into these areas can
seem to vanish because they go down
into underground complexes
As the river entrenches, the water
table drops, revealing caves in the
now empty spaces water once carved
out.
stalagmite and stalactite ANS:Minerals from the
water deposit on
the cave ceiling
and floor.
gradually building
up the ——-&——-
Sinkhole ANS:The vertical joints in an underlying rock layer can widen to the extent
of collapse.
Soil on top of a heavily eroded joint can suddenly fall into the empty
space since it no longer has any support.
Delta ANS:When a stream hits an open water body (lake or ocean)
it..
•This forms a depositional feature called a delta
Erosion ANS:The action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or
dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location
Addition of energy
Deposition ANS:Process by which sediments, soil, and rocks are added to a landform or land mass Loss
of energy
(Not to be confused with weathering! These inherently involve movement, while weathering does not!)
Mass Movement/Wasting ANS:• Any unit movement of a body of material propelled
d controlled by gravity
• The movement of rock, soil, or sediment downslope by
gravity (often aided by water)
Colluvium: any unconsolidated material that has
moved due to gravity
Angle of Repose ANS:• The maximum steepness of a pile of sediment before
the sediment begins flowing down the side of the pile.
The coarser the material, the steeper the slope can be
before collapsing.
Falls ANS:Rockfalls and debris avalanches
Rockfalls are more gradual while avalanches are all at once
Slides ANS:Landslides
Sudden, rapid movement of a cohesive mass of bedrock
or regolith that is not saturated with moisture
Flows ANS:Earthflows, mudflows, debris flows
When moisture content of moving material is high
,enough to start a flow (fluid motion)
Rockfalls ANS:• Weathering eventually allows rock to break free from a
slope and fall quickly to the base
These loose colluvial rocks forms what is called talus
• The talus builds up in talus fields or forms talus cones
(depending on the shape of the mountain range)
Earthflows & Mudflows ANS:• These involve loose sediment and very saturated
conditions.
Earthflows involve larger sediment sizes (moves a bit
slower than a mudflow).
• Mudflows involve smaller sediment sizes, allowing it
to move rapidly.
Debris Flow ANS:• Moves very large sediments, as well as mud
• Debris flows move in a very strange manner - like a
solid rolling along the ground like a liquid
Avalanches ANS:• Masses of snow and/or rock that suddenly slide down a
mountainside.
They start at steeper parts of mountains and move
their way down a track that they create for themselves.
Karst topography ANS:Landscapes defined by a dissolution of rock- often
limestone
Caves ANS:Underground voids of rock that are sufficiently large for
people to enter and explore
Drip formations ANS:Stalagmites and Stalactites
Sinkholes ANS:-Form when cave ceilings collapse -Famous in Florida
, Karst Formations ANS:Water drips through crevices in
rocks and moves horizontally along
underground joints.
Water widens these horizontal areas
as well as vertical joints.
Disappearing streams ANS:Streams can flow into these areas can
seem to vanish because they go down
into underground complexes
As the river entrenches, the water
table drops, revealing caves in the
now empty spaces water once carved
out.
stalagmite and stalactite ANS:Minerals from the
water deposit on
the cave ceiling
and floor.
gradually building
up the ——-&——-
Sinkhole ANS:The vertical joints in an underlying rock layer can widen to the extent
of collapse.
Soil on top of a heavily eroded joint can suddenly fall into the empty
space since it no longer has any support.
Delta ANS:When a stream hits an open water body (lake or ocean)
it..
•This forms a depositional feature called a delta
