ESC 1000 Earth Science Name:_____________

Chapter 4: Weathering, Soil, and Mass Wasting

Part K Chapter 4 Key Terms 36 Points

Fill in the blanks with the word or words that best fit the definition:

1.________________ - The steepest angle at which loose material remains stationary without sliding down slope

2. ________________- The processes by which the internal structure of a mineral is altered by the removal and/or addition of elements

3. ________________- The slow downhill movement of soil and regolith

4. ________________- A relatively rapid type of mass wasting that involves a flow of soil and regolith containing a large amount of water

5. ________________– The variation in the rate and degree of weathering caused by such factors as mineral make-up, degree of jointing, and climate

6. ________________- The down slope movement of water-saturated, clay-rich sediment. Most characteristic of humid regions

7. ________________ – The washing out of fine soil components from the A horizon by major El-Nino episode can cause extreme weather in many parts of the world

8. ________________ - The incorporation and transportation of material by a mobile agent, such as water, wind, or ice.

9. ________________– Large, dome-shaped structure, usually composed of granite, formed by sheeting.

10.– Process such as weathering, mass wasting or erosion that is empowered by the Sun and transforms solid rock into sediment

11. ________________ - A type of movement common to mass-wasting processes that refers to the free falling of detached individual pieces of any size

12. ________________– A type of movement common to mass-wasting processes in which water-saturated material moves down slope as a viscous fluid.

13. ________________- The mechanical breakup of rock caused by the expansion of freezing water in cracks and crevices

14. ________________- A layer in a soil profile

15. ________________- Process such which derive their energy from the Earths interior such that parts of the Earths Surface is gradually elevated by mountain building and volcanic activity.

16. ________________– Mudflows on the slopes of volcanoes that result when unstable layers of ash and debris become saturated and flow down slope, usually following stream channels

17. ________________ - The depletion of soluble materials from the upper soil by downward-percolating water

18. ________________- The down slope movement if rock, regolith, and soil under the direct influence of gravity

19. ________________– The physical disintegration of rock, resulting in smaller fragments

20. ________________- The material upon which a soil develops

21. ________________ - The permanently frozen ground that occurs in Earth’s harsh tundra and ice-cap climates.

22. ________________– The rapid slide of a mass of rock down slope along planes of weakness

23. ________________-The layer of rock and mineral fragments that nearly everywhere covers the earths surface

24. ________________- The concentration of minor amounts of metals that are scattered through unweathered rock into economically valuable concentrations by weathering processes

25. ________________- A mechanical weathering process characterized by the splitting off of slablike sheets of rock

26. ________________- A movement common to mass-wasting processes in which the material moving down slope remains fairly coherent and moves along a well-defined surface

27. ________________- The downward slipping of a mass of rock or unconsolidated material moving as a unit along a curved surface

28. ________________- A combination of mineral and organic matter, water, and air; that portion of the regolith and other plant growth

29. ________________ - A vertical section through a soil showing its succession of horizons and the underlying parent material

30. ________________- A soil classification system consisting of six hierarchical categories based on observable soil characteristics. The system recognizes 12 soil orders

31. ________________- The relative proportions of clay, silt, and sand in a soil. Texture strongly influences the soil’s ability to retain and transmit water and air

32. ________________- Slow, down slope flow of water-saturated materials common to permafrost areas

33. ________________- The O, A and B horizons in a profile. Living roots and other fined to this zone and other plant and animal life are largely confined to this zone.

34. ________________- Any weathering process that tends to produce a spherical shape form an initially blocky shape

35. ________________ - An accumulation of rock debris at the base of a cliff

36. ________________- The disintegration and decomposition of rock at or near Earth’s surface

Chapter 4: Weathering, Soil, and Mass Wasting Word List

Angle of repose	Frost wedging	Sheeting
Chemical weathering	Horizon	Slide
Creep	Internal processes	Slump
Debris flow	Lahar	Soil
Differential weathering	Leaching	Soil profile
Earth flow	Mass wasting	Soil Taxonomy
Eluviation	Mechanical weathering	Soil texture
Erosion	Parent material	Solifluction
Exfoliation dome	Permafrost	Solum
External processes	Regolith	Spheroidal weathering
Fall	Rockslide	Talus slope
Flow	Secondary enrichment	Weathering