Chapter 8 Science Definitions
Terms
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- chemical weathering
- process in which the chemical composition of rocks is changed by agents such as natural acids and oxygen
- slump
- occurs when a mass of rock or sediment moves downhill along a curved surface
- mass movement
- occurs when gravity alone cause rock or sediment to move down a slope
- abrasion
- erosion that occurs when wind blows sediments into rocks, makes pits in the rocks, and produces smooth, polished surfaces
- topography
- the surface features of an area
- deflation
- erosion of the land that occurs when wind blows across loose sediments and carries them away, often leaving behind particles that are too heavy to move
- weathering
- natural mechanical and chemical process that causes rocks to change by breaking them down and causing them to crumble
- mechanical weathering
- process that breaks rocks down in small pieces without changing them chemically
- creep
- a process in which sediments move slowly downhill
- runoff
- water that flows over Earth's surface
- soil
- mixture of weathered rock inorganic matter, water, and air that evolves over time and supports the growth of plant life
- erosion
- wearing away and removal of rock minerals that occur by agents such as gravity, ice, wind, and water