Geology Chapter: Weathering, Landforms, and Volcanoes

Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks, soil, minerals, and other materials at the Earth's surface.

Weathering creates smaller particles that can be transported by wind, water, or ice. These particles are then deposited in new locations, leading to changes in the landscape.

<p>Unloading occurs when a large weight is removed from the Earth's surface, causing the underlying rock to expand and crack.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Freeze-thaw weathering happens when water seeps into cracks in rocks and freezes. As water turns to ice, it expands, putting pressure on the rock and causing it to break apart.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Salt crystal growth weathering occurs when saltwater evaporates in cracks in rocks, leaving behind salt crystals that expand and put pressure on the rock, leading to its disintegration.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Mass wasting is the downslope movement of rock, soil, and other debris under the influence of gravity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Rock type</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Soil creep is a slow, gradual downslope movement of soil, often caused by freeze-thaw cycles, water infiltration, and the expansion and contraction of soil particles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Solifluction is the downslope movement of water-saturated soil or rock in permafrost regions. The frozen ground acts as an impermeable layer, causing water to accumulate and cause the soil to flow.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A mud flow/debris flow is a rapid, often destructive movement of a mixture of mud, water, and rocks. These flows are typically triggered by heavy rainfall or snowmelt.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A landslide is a rapid downslope movement of a large mass of rock, soil, and/or debris. Landslides are often triggered by earthquakes, heavy rainfall, or human activities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An avalanche is a rapid, destructive flow of snow down a steep slope. Avalanches are typically triggered by unstable snow conditions, such as heavy snowfall, warm temperatures, or vibrations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A laha is a fast-moving flow of water, mud, and debris caused by volcanic eruptions or heavy rainfall. Lahas can be very destructive and pose a significant hazard to downstream communities.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Geomorphology is the study of the origin, evolution, and form of landforms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Topography refers to the shape and features of the Earth's surface, including mountains, valleys, rivers, and other landforms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Relief is the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points in a given area.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Endogenic processes are those that originate from within the Earth, while exogenic processes are those that operate on the Earth's surface.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The three tectonic forces associated with endogenic processes are tension, compression, and shear. An anticline is a fold in rock layers that bends upward, like an arch. A syncline is a fold in rock layers that bends downward, like a trough.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An earthquake is a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust, caused by the movement of tectonic plates.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The epicenter is the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus, where an earthquake originates.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Earthquakes are commonly measured on the Richter scale, which is a logarithmic scale that assigns a magnitude to each earthquake based on the amplitude of the seismic waves.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Explosive eruptions are characterized by rapid, violent releases of energy and gas, often resulting in ash plumes, pyroclastic flows, and widespread destruction. Effusive eruptions are characterized by the slow, steady flow of lava, which typically causes less damage but can cover large areas.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's resistance to flow. In the context of volcanoes, viscosity refers to the resistance of magma to flow.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Earth's interior composition has been deduced through the study of seismic waves, which travel through the Earth's layers at different speeds and are reflected and refracted at boundaries between different layers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The main layers of Earth's planetary structure are the crust, the mantle, and the core.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The lithosphere is the rigid outermost layer of the Earth, composed of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The asthenosphere is a layer of the upper mantle that is partially molten and behaves like a viscous fluid. The asthenosphere is less rigid than the lithosphere and allows the tectonic plates to move over it.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An igneous rock is a rock that has formed from the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. Intrusive rocks are formed when magma cools and solidifies beneath the Earth's surface. Extrusive rocks are formed when lava cools and solidifies on the Earth's surface.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The three major categories of rock are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A tectonic plate is a large, rigid slab of rock that makes up the Earth's outermost layer, the lithosphere.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Tectonic plates can move in three ways: divergent, convergent, and transform.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Alfred Wegener was a German geophysicist and meteorologist who proposed the theory of continental drift in the early 20th century.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pangaea was a supercontinent that existed about 300 million years ago, when all of the Earth's continents were joined together.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A fault is a fracture in the Earth's crust along which there has been movement.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Seafloor spreading is a process that occurs at divergent plate boundaries, where new oceanic crust is created.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An earthquake is a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust, caused by the movement of tectonic plates.</p> Signup and view all the answers