Chapter Review Assess your understanding of concepts related to this chapter by answering the questions below. Click the question to reveal the correct answer.
Physical weathering processes are those that break rocks into smaller pieces (disintegration). Chemical weathering chemically alters rock-forming minerals into a product (decomposition).
Hydration and hydrolysis involve the absorption of water into the molecular structure of a mineral. Hydration is a reversible process and hydrolysis is not.
Soil creep is the slow down slope movement of earth material. The process is imperceptible to the human eye. Terracettes, broken retaining walls, curved tree roots, deformed railroad tracks result from creep.
Slumps take place on well-defined failure planes, exhibit rotation of the failed mass, and often form terraces. Slides occur along irregular failure planes with the mass sliding down slope burying the overlying surface with debris.
Mass movement is the down slope movement of earth material under the influence of gravity. Movement occurs when the shearing stress imposed on material is greater than the shearing strength.
Erosion is the detachment of material from the surface.
Rain drop erosion occurs in a series of steps. Initial rain drops soak the surface driving soil particles apart. Subsequent rain drops detach soil particles upon impact. A dimpled surface often results from rain splash erosion.
Sheet erosion occurs when the unconfined flow of water across the surface strips thin layers of top soil. It can be imperceptible to the human eye.
Rill erosion occurs when moving water is confined to small channels. A gulley is a much larger channel formed from the coalescence of rills
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