The preexisting rock from which a metamorphic

A term used to describe regions that are strongly affected by movement of Earth's tectonic plates

Overland flow of water in thin sheets

A combination of chemical

One of the processes that work together to turn sediment into sedimentary rock (lithification

A term used to describe large crystals embedded in a mass of finer crystals (groundmass) in an igneous rock

In karst

In colder temperate regions, water trapped in fractures and between grains of rocks repeatedly freezes, then thaws during the winter months. In some areas this occurs on a daily basis as water freezes [..]

A process that mechanically breaks apart rock caused by expansion of water as it freezes in cracks and crevices. fumarole

Occurs when more glacier ice is lost by melting and evaporation each year than is added by snowfall.