Weathering and Erosion Flashcards
Grade 5 · Science · Flashcards
Key vocabulary for weathering, erosion, deposition, and how Earth's landscapes change.
Flashcards
- Weathering
- The breakdown of rock at or near Earth's surface by physical or chemical processes.
- Physical weathering
- Breaking rocks into smaller pieces without changing chemical composition; examples: frost wedging, abrasion, plant roots.
- Chemical weathering
- Breaking down rock by changing its chemical composition; examples: acid dissolving limestone, oxidation.
- Erosion
- The movement of weathered rock and sediment by water, wind, ice, or gravity.
- Deposition
- The dropping of sediment when an erosion agent slows down and loses energy.
- Frost wedging
- Water freezes in rock cracks, expands ~9%, and pries the rock apart; most effective with repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
- Abrasion
- Physical weathering where rocks grind and scratch against each other; rounds and smooths rock surfaces.
- Oxidation
- Chemical weathering where iron in rocks reacts with oxygen and water to form rust (iron oxide).
- Acid rain
- Rain that is more acidic than normal due to dissolved pollutants; accelerates chemical weathering.
- Sediment
- Rock particles, sand, silt, and organic material broken down and transported by erosion.
- Delta
- A fan-shaped deposition landform where a river empties into a larger body of water and drops its sediment.
- Canyon
- A deep, narrow valley carved by river erosion over a long period of time.
- Glacier
- A large mass of moving ice that erodes bedrock and transports sediment as it moves.
- Sand dune
- A mound of wind-deposited sand found in deserts and coastal areas.
- Soil
- A mixture of weathered rock particles, organic matter, water, and air; supports plant life.
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