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33 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Abrasion |
Abrasion refers to the wearing away of rock by rock particles carried by water, ice, wind, or gravity. |
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Carbon Dioxide |
A gas found in air, carbon dioxide, also causes chemical weathering when it dissolves in water. The result is a weak acid called carbonic acid and it easily weathers some kinds of rocks, such as marble and limestone. |
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Acid Rain |
Burning coal, oil, and gas for energy can pollute the air with sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen compounds, and this mixes wth rain clouds, thus making acid rain. |
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Oxygen |
Iron combines with oxygen in the presence of water in a process called oxidation. The product of iron oxidation is rust, which makes rock soft a crumbly and gives it a red-brown color. |
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Plant Growth |
Plant roots enter cracks in rocks and as they grow, they break apart rocks. Even over time, small plants can pry rocks open. |
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Living Organisms |
As plant roots grow, they produce weak acid that slowly dissolves rocks around the roots. |
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Freezing and Thawing (a.k.a Frost Wedging) |
When water freezes in a crack in a rock, it expands and makes the crack bigger. |
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Animal Actions |
Animals that burrow in the ground loosen and break apart rocks in the soil. |
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The two factors that determine the rate of weathering |
-Type of rock -Climate |
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Chemical Weathering |
The process that breaks down rocks through chemical changes. |
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Mechanical Weathering |
The type of weathering in which rock is physically broken down into smaller pieces. |
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How does climate affect weathering? |
Climate affects weathering by providing water needing for chemical and mechanical changes, and chemical reactions occur faster at higher temperatures. |
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Permeable |
This means that a material is full of tiny, connected air spaces that allow water to seep through it. |
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Uniformitarianism |
This principle states that the geologic processes that operated today also operated in the past. |
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Sediment |
Sediment may contain pieces of rock or soil or the remains of plants or animals |
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Weathering |
The process which breaks down rock and other substances by heat, cold, water, ice, or gravity. |
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Loam |
Soil that is made up of about equal parts of clay, sand, and silt is called loam, and it is the best soil to grow plants in. |
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Soil |
The loose, weathered material on Earth's surface in which plants can grow. |
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Soil Fertility |
A measure of how well the soil supports plant growth. |
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pH Scale |
A pH Scale measure acidity in the soil. Less than 4: STRONGLY acidic pH of 7: Neither acidic or basic. Greater than 10: STRONGLY basic Most garden plants grow in soil that has a pH between 6 and 7.5 |
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Natural Resource |
Anything in the environment that humans use |
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Topsoil |
A crumbly, dark brown soil that is a mixture of humus, clay, and other minerals. |
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Subsoil |
Usually, consists of clay and other particles of rock, but little humus. |
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Bedrock |
A solid layer of rock beneath the soil. |
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Humus |
A dark-colored substance that forms as plant and animal remain decay. |
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Soil Horizon |
A layer of soil that differs in color, texture, and composition from the layer above or below it. |
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What is in soil and how does it form? |
The loose, weathered material on Earth's surface in which plants can grow is soil and it is a mixture of rock particles, minerals, decayed organic material, water, and air. The soil is mostly formed when bedrock is decaying into soil.
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How do burrowers and decomposers affect soil? |
Decomposers: They are the organisms that break the remains of dead organisms and turn them into humus. Burrowers: These organisms mix humus with air and other materials in soil. They also carry humus down to the subsoil and subsoil up to the surface. |
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Describe the characteristics of healthy soil. |
-Plenty of humus -Air spaces -Plenty of water -Holds in water -An equal amount of clay, silt, and sand -A pH of 6 through 7.5 |
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A horizon |
Contains decomposers (worms, bacteria, fungi, insects) -Humus: Makes it the most fertile layer -Dark colored -Has clay & minerals -Plant roots grow here |
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B horizon |
Minerals leach(drip) down into here from the A horizon -lighter colored -very little clay & humus |
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C horizon |
Partially weathered rock |
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O horizon (organic) |
Litter is found on top of the A horizon as leaves and twigs fall from plants |
