Module 8: Weathering, Erosion, and Groundwater

Bend in a river Have you ever stopped to think what the Earth looked like a million years ago? What do you think the land looked like before all of the houses and businesses were built? The Earth and its surface are constantly changing and moving. While you may not notice differences over the span of decades, or even centuries, it changes in response to forces present at the Earth’s surface. Forces like wind, rain, gravity, and even sunshine work to break rocks, move rocks, and deposit rock material in new locations. Freshwater, which flows over and underneath Earth’s surface, is responsible for a significant amount of the change and has special interest because of its value to humans. In this module, you will investigate the different geologic and hydrologic processes at work at the Earth’s surface and determine how they impact the environment and landforms.

Getting Started

Self-check iconWeathering, Erosion, and GroundwaterBefore you learn about weathering, erosion, and deposition, check to see how much you already know about the processes that shape the surface of the Earth. In this non-graded activity, read each question, and then select the appropriate answer. Click the player button to get started.

 

 

Key Vocabulary

Glossary Icon
To view the definitions for these key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.


abrasion freshwater precipitation
acid rain geyser runoff
alluvial fan graded bedding sinkhole
animal weathering groundwater slump
aquifer humus soil
aquitard hydrologic cycle soil horizon
artesian well hydrolysis soil profile
bedrock ice/frost wedging sorting
carbonation impermeable stalactite
chemical weathering infiltration stalagmite
column Karst topography striation
condensation landslide surface area
cone of depression leaching temperature change
creep mature river till
cross-bedding meander transpiration
debris flow moraine U-shaped valley
delta natural spring V-shaped valley
deposition old river water table
dissolution oxbow lake weathering
dune oxidation young river
erosion permeable zone of aeration
evaporation physical weathering zone of saturation
exfoliation plant weathering  
floodplain porosity