Forces That Change the Face of the Earth
weathering
erosion
deposition
forces of erosion
run-off
sediment
plate tectonics
volcanoes
earthquakes
geomorphology
The breaking down of rocks, soils,
and minerals as well as wood and
artificial materials through contact
with the Earth's atmosphere, water,
Seismic activity that is most often and biological organisms. It occurs
associated with tectonic plate
in situ (i.e., on site, without
boundaries. As plates slowly move, displacement), that is, in the same
their jagged edges stick and
place, with little or no movement,
suddenly slip, causing this force
and thus should not be confused
that changes the face of the earth. with erosion.
An area where magma, or molten
rock, from the earth’s mantle
reaches the earth’s surface,
becoming lava. Most occur at plate
boundaries, where two plates are
moving away (diverging) or
together (converging). A few, like
the Hawaiian Islands, form from a
The motions of earth’s lithosphere, hot spot, or a weak spot in earth’s
or outermost layer of hard, solid
crust, where magma forces its way
rock, over geologic time.
to the surface.
The geological process in which
sediments, soil and rocks are
added to a landform or land mass.
Previously eroded sediment will be Forces include rivers, rainfall,
transported by wind, ice, water
flooding, run-off, rivers, waves, ice,
which loses its kinetic energy in
glaciers, wind, plants, animals, and
fluid and thus deposited.
people.
The part of the water cycle that
flows over land as surface water
The scientific study that analyzes
instead of being absorbed into
the history and nature of the earth's groundwater or evaporating. It is
surface, deals with the landforms
that part of the precipitation, snow
produced by erosion, weathering, melt, or irrigation water that
deposition, transport and tectonic appears in uncontrolled surface
processes.
streams, rivers, drains, or sewers.
The action of surface processes
Solid material that is moved and
that remove soil, rock, or dissolved deposited in a new location.
material from one location on the
Sediment can consist of rocks and
Earth's crust, and then transports it minerals, as well as the remains of
to another location.
plants and animals.