Exam 4: Weathering, Soil, and Mass Wasting

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, California, and Stone Mountain in Georgia, are shaped mainly by what mechanical weathering process?

In which area would weathering by frost wedging probably be most effective?

As an erosional process, how is mass wasting unique from wind, water, and ice?

Frost wedging is the major weathering process contributing to the formation of which regolith material?

The very fine-sized, clay mineral particles move downward from the E to the B-horizon of some soils. What is this process called?

Abundant moisture and warm temperatures result in high rates of chemical weathering.

Fill in the blanks on the diagram below with the names of the soil "layers" that are labeled.

Quartz is quite resistant to weathering and is an important component of sands in riverbeds and on beaches.

Sheeting is mainly a process of mechanical weathering.

________ is the basic force that moves or accelerates soil and regolith down a slope.

In the diagram below, match the letter of each illustration to the correct form of mass wasting. a) debris flow b) slump c) earthflow d) rockslide

Which of the following best describes the process of eluviation?

What kind of weathering involves only a reduction in the sizes of bedrock, regolith, and mineral particles?

Bedding planes and fractures can both act as slip surfaces for rockslides.

How do the strength and cohesion of clay-rich regolith or soil change with the addition of water?

In the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, north-facing slopes (downhill direction is toward the north) are typically more moist and heavily forested than south-facing slopes. Why?

________ involves movement on a zone of compressed air.

What term describes a soil that has developed from silt and clay deposited by a flooding river?

Feldspars commonly decompose during weathering to clay minerals, silica, and soluble constituents.

What term refers to removal of soluble inorganic components from soils?