Term
|
Definition
| The process by which soils and rocks are depleted of silica and bases and enriched with hydrated aluminum and iron oxides; is a soil forming process that occurs in warm and moist climates under broadleaf evergreen forests. Soils tend to be highly weathered with high iron and aluminum oxide content. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The process by which soils are depleted of bases and become acidic; occurs in cool and moist climates under pine forests. They are typical of the colder portions of the humid continental and subarctic climates. The E horizon is heavily leached and basically composed a of light colored layer of sand. The upper portion of the B horizon is stained reddish color from the accumulation of sesquioxides. The profile gets lighter in color as depth increases. Podzolization of sandy soils in the southern United States has been the result of planting pine plantations. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
the main weathering process that converts silicate minerals to clay minerals; A form of chemical weathering in which ions from water replace equivalently charged ions from a mineral, especially a silicate; Hydrolysis takes place when acid rain reacts with rock-forming minerals such as feldspar to produce clay and salts that are removed in solution.
The only common rock-forming mineral that is not affected is quartz, which is a chemically resistant mineral. This is why quartz and clay are the two of the most common minerals in sedimentary rocks |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a body of comparatively shallow salt or brackish water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral reef, or similar feature. Thus, the enclosed body of water behind a barrier reef or barrier islands or enclosed by an atoll reef is called this |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea.[1] Estuaries are often associated with high levels of biological diversity. Estuaries are typically the tidal mouths of rivers (aestus is Latin for tide), and they are often characterized by sedimentation or silt carried in from terrestrial runoff and, frequently, from offshore. They are made up of brackish water |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a type of marsh that is found along coasts and estuaries of which the flooding characteristics are determined by the tidal movement of the adjacent estuary, sea or ocean [1]. According to the salinity of the flooding water, freshwater, brackish and saline tidal marshes are distinguished. Respectively, they may be classified into coastal marches and estuarine marches. They are also commonly zoned into lower marshes (also called intertidal marshes) and upper or high marshes, based on their elevation with respect to the seal level.[1][2] In addition they may also be classified into back-barrier marches, estuarine brackish marshes and tidal freshwater marches, according to the degree of the influence of the sea level. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
the most rapid (up to 80 km/h / 50 mph) and fluid type of downhill mass wasting. It is a rapid movement of a large mass of mud formed from loose earth and water. Similar terms are debris flow (e.g. in high mountains), mudslide (not very liquid) lahars and mud stream (e.g. from volcanoes; see also lahar) flowing masses of material mostly finer than sand, along with some rock debris, containing large amounts of water (tends to move faster than earth or debris flows)--move at several Km/hr--most common in hilly and semiarid regions and start after infrequent and prolonged rains--can carry huge boulders, trees, and even houses |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a downslope viscous flow of fine grained materials that have been saturated with water, and moves under the pull of gravity. They are an intermediate type of mass wasting that is between downhill creep and mudflow. The types of materials that are susceptible to earthflows are clay, fine sand and silt, and fine-grained pyroclastic material.[1] When the ground materials become saturated with enough water they will start flowing. It's speed can range from being barely noticeable to rapid movement. The velocity of the flow is dictated by water content: the higher the water content is, the higher the velocity will be.[2] Because of the dependency on water content for the velocity of the flow, it can take minutes or years for the materials to move down the slope. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
a physical weathering process whereby plant roots grow into rock fractures causing further widening and possibly breaking the material apart. occurs when a plant, especially trees, sink root systems into existing joints and fractures.
As the root grows it forces the fracture to expand.
Relatively minor weathering force in rocks, but is very important for soil development. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
a permanantly frozen aggregate of ice and soil occuring in very cold regions--any rock or soil remaining at or below 0 degrees C for 2 or more years Overlying permafrost is a thin active layer that seasonally thaws during the summer. Plant life can be supported only within the active layer since growth can occur only in soil that is fully thawed for some part of the year |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| To cause (soil) to form lumps or masses. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a flow in which straight or gently curved streamlines run parallel to one another without mixing or crossing between layers |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a flow in which streamlines mix, cross, and form swirls and eddies |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
the elevation at which a stream ends by entering a large standing body of water, such as a lake or an ocean the lowest level to which a stream can erode |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
the maximum rate that surficial materials can absorb water The maximum rate that water can enter a soil in a given condition |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A summary of the relationships among the volume of water flowing through an aquifer in a certain time, the vertical drop of the flow, the flow distance, and the permeability of the aquifer |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| all the processes by which masses of rock and soilmove downhill under under the influence of gravity |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
- The combination of a substance with oxygen.
- A reaction in which the atoms in an element lose electrons and the valence of the element is correspondingly increased
a process in which the electrons lost by iron are gained by oxygen, a very important chemical weathering process |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the rate in which the amount of the mineral that dissolves in an unsaturated solution in a given length of time--the faster a mineral dissolves, the less stable the mineral is |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the process of dissolving a solid substance into a solvent to yield a solution |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a measure of a fluids resistance to flow |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the total sediment load carried by a flow |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the ability of a flow to carry material of a given size |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a process in which ine action produces an effect (the feedback) that tends to speed up the original action and stabilize the process at a faster rate |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| aprocess in which one action produces an effect (the feedback) that tends to slow the original action and stabilize the process at a lower rate |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
are created when the discharge of water cannot transport its load. When there is a decrease in stream velocity sediment is deposited on the floor of the channel creating bars. The bars separate the channel into several smaller channels creating a braided appearance. Braided channels are common in glaciated or recently glaciated landscapes where streams are fed by debris-choked melt water a series of intertwined channels that are overloaded with sediment |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the swelling of certain minerals due to the incorporation of water into their crystal lattices during the weathering process |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| An astronomical cycle that causes periodic variations in the amount of heat Earth receives from the Sun. Such cycles include the eccentricity of Earth's orbit; the tilt of Earth's axis of rotation; and precision, earth's wobble about it's axis of rotation |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| single-celled organisms, include bacteria, some fungi and algae, and proterozoa |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the maximum angle at which a slope of loose material will lie without sliding |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the inputs and outputs caused by erosion and sedimentation of a beach |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
occurs when two opposing processes proceed at the same rate when the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are equal. The system is dynamic because individual molecules react continuously. It is at equilibrium because no net change occurs. |
|
|
