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24 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
uniformitarianism |
The geological principle that the same geologic processes that operates today operated in the past to change Earth's surface |
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mechanial weathering |
The type of weathering in which rock is physicaally broken into smaller pieces |
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abarasion |
The grinding away of rock particles carried in water, ice, or wind |
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erosion |
The process by which water, ice, wind or gravity moves weathered partcicles of rock and soil |
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frost wedging |
Process taht splits rock when water seeps into cracks, then freezes and expands |
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weathering |
The chemical and physical processes that break down rock and other substances |
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chemical weathering |
The process that breaks down rock through chemical changes |
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oxidation |
A chemical change in which a substance combines with oxygen, as when iron oxides, forming rust |
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permeable |
Characteristics of a material that contains connected air spaces, or pores, that water can seep through easily |
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soil |
The loose, weathered material on Earth's surface in which plants can grow |
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bedrock |
Rock that makes up Earth's crust; also the solid rock layer beneath the soil. |
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humus |
Dark-colored organic material in soil |
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fertility |
A measure of how well soil supports plant growth |
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loam |
Rich, fertile soil that is made up of about equal parts of clay, sand, and silt |
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pH scale |
A range of values used to indicate how acidic or basic a substance is; expresses the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution |
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soil horizon |
A layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the layers below or above it |
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topsoil |
The crumbly, topmost layer of soil made up of clay and other minerals and humus |
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subsoil |
The layer of soil below topsoil that has less plant and animal matter than topsoil and contains mostly clay and other minerals |
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decomposer |
An organism that gets energy by breaking down wastes and dead organisms, and returns raw materials to the soil and water |
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natural resource |
Anything naturally occurring in the environment that humans use |
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soil conservation |
The management of soil to limit its destruction |
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crop rotation |
The planting of different crops in a field each year to maintain the soil's fertility |
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contour plowing |
Plowing fields along the curves of a slope to prevent soil loss |
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conservation plowing |
Soil conservation method in which weeds and dead stalks from the pervious year's crop are plowed into the ground |