| A | B |
|---|
| weathering | the breakdown of rock into smaller and smaller pieces by mechanical or chemical means |
| mechanical weathering | the breakdown of rock into smaller pieces by physical means |
| abrasion | the grinding and wearing down of rock surfaces by other rock or sand particles |
| chemical weathering | the chemical breakdown of rocks and minerals into new substances |
| acid precipitation | precipitation that contains acids due to air pollution |
| oxidation | a chemical reaction in which an element combines with oxygen to form an oxide |
| erosion | the removal and transport of material by wind, water, or ice |
| frost/ice wedging | mechanical weathering that results from freezing water |
| biological weathering | weathering by animals and plants |
| exfoliation | weathering process that results in rock layers peeling away |
| root wedging | mechanical weathering caused by roots growing into small cracks in a rock, spliting the rock |
| river | a large body of water that flows into an ocean or lake |
| stream | a small river |
| channel | the path that a river or stream follows |
| deposition | the process of depositing sediment after it has been moved by water, wind, ice or gravity |
| gradient/slope | how steem the land is |
| graded bedding | a layer of sediment with the largest particles at the bottom and the smallest on top. deposited as flowing water slows down |
| direction of younging | the order in which sedimentary rock layers are formed, from larger to finer particles |
| cross bedding | a pattern of alternating beds of sediment that often form as wind and water deposit the sediments |
| plastic | able to change shape without breaking |
| mass wasting | the downhill movement of large amounts of rock and sediment due to the force of gravity |
| landslide | a large mass of soil or rock that slides down a volcano or mountain |
| rock fall | an event that results in a large amount of rock splitting off of a landform |
| mudflow | an event that occurs when a large amount of rock, sediment, plant material, and water flows down a mountain |
| slumping | an event that occurs when soil particles become surrounded by water so that the ground slides or "slumps" |
| floodplain | flat land alongside a river that tends to flood. |
| meanders | S-shaped curves in a river |
| braided stream | a stream that has many channels that criss-cross each other |
