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12.4: Review and Additional Resources

  • Page ID
    21771
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    Review

    Review and assess your learning. Start with the "Important Terms and Concepts" to ensure you know the terminology related to the topic of the module and concepts discussed. Finally, test your overall understanding by taking the "Self-assessment quiz".

    Important Terms and Concepts
    • weathering
      the breakdown and decomposition of earth material, namely rocks
    • physical weathering
      involves the disintegration of rock materials; breaks large pieces into smaller ones
    • chemical weathering
      decomposition of rocks and sediment.a chemical change occurs and a new product is created from the material that has undergone weathering
    • root wedging
      Plant roots work their way into joints; as they grow, roots create pressure on the sides of the crack enlarging it until the rock breaks apart
    • joints
      rock crevices
    • frost wedging
      occurs when water freezes in rock fractures. As the water freezes it expands putting pressure on the sides of the crack, enlarging it until the rock breaks apart
    • thermal expansion and contraction
      can weaken rock and cause it to disintegrate; expansion upon heating and contraction during cooling weakens rock breaking it apart
    • regolith
      the product of weathering
    • oxidation
      takes place when oxygen reacts with earth materials. Oxygen dissolved in water combines with atoms of metallic elements abundant in silicate minerals.
    • hydrolysis
      an exchange reaction involving minerals and water. Free hydrogen (H+) and hydroxide (OH)- ions in water are able to replace mineral ions and drive them into solution
    • karst
      a Yugoslavian term that comes from a narrow strip of limestone plateau noted for the assemblage of solution landforms
    • sinkhole
      form either from beneath the surface or from the surface down
    • karst window
      forms when the roof above the underground stream collapses in
    • mass movement
      the down slope movement of earth materials under the influence of gravity
    • shear stress
      primarily a function of the force exerted by the weight of the material under the influence of gravity acting in the down slope direction
    • shear strength
      a measure of the resistance of earth materials to being moved
    • creep
      occurs in the top few meters of the surface and is accomplished by expansion and contraction of the soil; slowest of all types of mass movement
    • slide
      a sheet of material that slips over a failure plane ending anywhere from a meter to a kilometer down slope
    • slump
      characterized by a backward rotation of the earth material as it moves along a curved failure plane resulting in a reverse slope
    • earth flow
      fairly slow, occurring over a few hours or so slow that they are almost imperceptible. Accompanied with slumping; no backward rotation; are not confined to channels; are more common in humid areas
    • mud flow
      is the rapid down slope movement of water-saturated water- saturated soil, regolith. The higher water content creates a flow rapid enough to be perceptible to the eye.
    • rock fall
      occurs when blocks of rock shed from a cliff face and collect at the base
    • erosion
      the detachment of earth material from the surface
    • rain splash erosion
      caused by the impact of water striking the surface
    • sheet erosion
      caused by the unconfined flow of water running across the surface
    • rill erosion
      caused by water concentrating into innumerable, closely-spaced small channels
    • gully erosion
      steep-sided trenches formed by the coalescence of many rills

    Additional Resources

    Use these resources to further explore the world of geography

    Focus on The Physical Environment: "Killer Landslides" (NOVA PBS). Video Icon (29:00)

    Connections: When Land Slides (NASA Earth Observatory)

    Physical Geography Today: "Real-Time" Monitoring of an Active Landslide above Highway 50, California - USGS

    Readings

    When Land Slides (NASA EOS)


    12.4: Review and Additional Resources is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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