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What process is primarily responsible for most chemical weathering?
What process is primarily responsible for most chemical weathering?
Which landform is created by the deposition of sediments carried by a river as it reaches a larger body of water?
Which landform is created by the deposition of sediments carried by a river as it reaches a larger body of water?
What term describes a fan-shaped deposit of sediments that forms when the flow of water suddenly slows down?
What term describes a fan-shaped deposit of sediments that forms when the flow of water suddenly slows down?
Which of the following processes involves the downward sliding of a mass of rock or unconsolidated material?
Which of the following processes involves the downward sliding of a mass of rock or unconsolidated material?
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What is the definition of a levee in geological terms?
What is the definition of a levee in geological terms?
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Which process involves the action of waves constantly eroding and shaping the shoreline?
Which process involves the action of waves constantly eroding and shaping the shoreline?
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What defines erosion in geological processes?
What defines erosion in geological processes?
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What type of mass wasting typically occurs after heavy rainfall?
What type of mass wasting typically occurs after heavy rainfall?
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Which of the following best describes chemical weathering?
Which of the following best describes chemical weathering?
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What type of soil remains on top of its parent rock?
What type of soil remains on top of its parent rock?
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What describes the gradual movement of soil caused by alternating expansion and contraction due to wetting and drying?
What describes the gradual movement of soil caused by alternating expansion and contraction due to wetting and drying?
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Which agent of erosion is primarily active in deserts and open fields?
Which agent of erosion is primarily active in deserts and open fields?
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What process is responsible for creating new crust on the ocean floor?
What process is responsible for creating new crust on the ocean floor?
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What does the term 'runoff' refer to in geological processes?
What does the term 'runoff' refer to in geological processes?
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What type of boundary involves the plates pushing apart?
What type of boundary involves the plates pushing apart?
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Which part of the Earth's structure begins to form during the juvenile phase of ocean basin evolution?
Which part of the Earth's structure begins to form during the juvenile phase of ocean basin evolution?
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How does frost action contribute to mechanical weathering?
How does frost action contribute to mechanical weathering?
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Which of the following processes involves the breaking of rocks without changing their chemical composition?
Which of the following processes involves the breaking of rocks without changing their chemical composition?
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What is the role of convection currents in the context of plate tectonics?
What is the role of convection currents in the context of plate tectonics?
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What is created when rocks break along a crack or fracture?
What is created when rocks break along a crack or fracture?
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What is an example of a landform created by wind erosion?
What is an example of a landform created by wind erosion?
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What geological feature exemplifies the embryonic stage of ocean basin evolution?
What geological feature exemplifies the embryonic stage of ocean basin evolution?
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Who introduced the concept of seafloor spreading?
Who introduced the concept of seafloor spreading?
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Which layer of the Earth forms as the ocean floor widens due to seafloor spreading?
Which layer of the Earth forms as the ocean floor widens due to seafloor spreading?
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What type of fold is characterized by an upward bend in rock layers?
What type of fold is characterized by an upward bend in rock layers?
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Which type of metamorphism is primarily caused by large geologic processes such as mountain building?
Which type of metamorphism is primarily caused by large geologic processes such as mountain building?
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What is the appearance characteristic of foliated metamorphic rocks?
What is the appearance characteristic of foliated metamorphic rocks?
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What happens to oceanic crust as it moves away from mid-ocean ridges?
What happens to oceanic crust as it moves away from mid-ocean ridges?
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Which type of fault occurs when a rock block is pushed up relative to the other side?
Which type of fault occurs when a rock block is pushed up relative to the other side?
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In the context of continental drift theory, what was the name given to the supercontinent that existed 225 million years ago?
In the context of continental drift theory, what was the name given to the supercontinent that existed 225 million years ago?
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What type of fault is characterized by lateral movement of adjacent blocks of rock?
What type of fault is characterized by lateral movement of adjacent blocks of rock?
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What type of mountains are formed by blocks of rocks uplifted by normal faults?
What type of mountains are formed by blocks of rocks uplifted by normal faults?
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Which period is known as the 'Age of Amphibians'?
Which period is known as the 'Age of Amphibians'?
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What major event marked the end of the Triassic Period?
What major event marked the end of the Triassic Period?
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During which period did gymnosperms become dominant?
During which period did gymnosperms become dominant?
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Which invertebrate was considered dominant during the Carboniferous Period?
Which invertebrate was considered dominant during the Carboniferous Period?
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What characterized the climate during the Permian Period?
What characterized the climate during the Permian Period?
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The breakup of which supercontinent occurred during the Mesozoic Era?
The breakup of which supercontinent occurred during the Mesozoic Era?
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Which geological event is associated with the end of the Permian Period?
Which geological event is associated with the end of the Permian Period?
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Which ancient animal groups appeared first during the Carboniferous Period?
Which ancient animal groups appeared first during the Carboniferous Period?
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Study Notes
Exogenic processes
- Erosion: process of soil and rock transportation
- Deposition: laying down of sediments transported by erosion agents
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Weathering: decomposition of rocks and materials on Earth's surface
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Mechanical Weathering: rock breaks without chemical composition change
- Temperature: repeated heating and cooling cause exfoliation (surface peeling)
- Frost Action: water expands when frozen, breaking rocks
- Abrasion: solid particles carried by wind, water, etc. wear down rocks
- Living Organisms: plants, animals, and humans contribute to mechanical weathering
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Chemical Weathering: change in rock's chemical composition
- Hydrolysis (water): dominant factor in chemical weathering
- Oxidation (oxygen): combines with substances to form new ones
- Carbonation (carbon dioxide): combines with rainwater to form weak carbonic acid
- Acidification (acid rain): organisms like plants produce acid, causing weathering.
- Residual Soil: remains on its parent rock
- Transported Soil: moved by wind, water, glaciers, and waves
- Bedrock: parent rock under residual and transported soil.
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Mechanical Weathering: rock breaks without chemical composition change
Agents of Erosion
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Wind: active in deserts, fields, and beaches
- Dunes: wind-built mounds of loose sand
- Loess: fine sand and silt deposit from wind
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Running Water: major erosion agent (rivers, streams, runoff)
- Runoff: rainwater flowing on the surface and into rivers/streams
- Oxbow Lake: U-shaped water body formed when a river changes course
Plate Tectonics
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Seafloor Spreading:
- New crust forms from intruding magma as plates move apart (lava erupts)
- "Hot and less dense material from the mantle rises to the surface along mid-ocean ridges, pushing the seafloor away in both directions"
- As oceanic crust moves away from ridges, it cools, contracts, and becomes denser, aiding ridge formation
- Continuous magma formation causes ocean floor widening
- Convection Currents: drive magma upwelling
Ocean Basin
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Evolution of Ocean Basin:
- Embryonic Stage: continents separate forming rift valleys (e.g., Great Rift Valley)
- Juvenile Stage: seafloor basalts form as continental margins separate, rift valleys deepen and flood
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Structure of Ocean Basin:
- Continental Shelf: submerged part of continental landmass
Mass Movement Processes (downward movement of soil and rock under gravity)
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Slope Failure: caused by the weakening of supporting rocks by heavy rain
- Alluvial Fan: fan-shaped deposit of sediments at the base of a stream
- Delta: landform formed by sediment deposition at river mouths
- Flood Plain: flat area near a river/stream
- Levee: natural wall built by sediment deposits blocking water
- Mudflow: rapid flow of water-saturated soil down a slope
- Slump: downward sliding of rock/unconsolidated material on a curved surface
- Debris Flow: soil and water flow down a slope
- Creep: slow, gradual downhill movement of soil due to expansion and contraction
Folding (rock bending)
- Anticline: upward bend
- Syncline: downward bend
- Plateau: formed by folding
Faulting (rock fracture)
- Fault: rock movement along a fracture
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Normal Fault: rock on one side is lower relative to the other (tension)
- Fault-block mountains: uplifted blocks of rock by normal faults
- Reverse Fault: one block pushed up relative to the other (compression)
- Strike-Slip Fault: sideways movement of blocks
Continental Drift Theory
- Alfred Wegener: proposed the theory of continental movement
- Pangaea: supercontinent
- Laurasia and Gondwanaland: continents that formed from Pangaea breakup
Geological Time Periods:
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Paleozoic Era (541 - 252 million years ago)
- **Cambrian Period (541-485): ** Cambrian explosion of life, trilobites, the first vertebrates
- Ordovician Period (485-444): diversification of marine life, first land plants
- Silurian Period (444-419): early jawed fish, emergence of terrestrial ecosystems
- Devonian Period (419-359): age of fishes, first tetrapods, mass extinction
- Carboniferous Period (359-299): high oxygen levels, vast forests, first reptiles
- Permian Period (299-252): rise of reptiles, dominant amphibians, largest mass extinction
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Mesozoic Era (252-66 million years ago)
- Triassic Period (252-201): first dinosaurs, gymnosperms, mass extinction (end-Triassic)
- Jurassic Period (201-145): dinosaurs, birds, flowering plants, giant-lizard hipped dinosaurs
- Cretaceous Period (145-66): separation of Gondwana and Laurasia, emergence of flowering plants, placental mammals, mass extinction (dinosaur extinction)
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Description
Explore the various exogenic processes, including erosion, deposition, and weathering, that shape the Earth's surface. This quiz covers both mechanical and chemical weathering processes with examples. Test your understanding of how these processes interact with the environment.
