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Ch. 16
environmental geology
10
Geology
Undergraduate 2
12/02/2008

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Expansive Soil
Definition
with respect to engineering properties of soils, refers to soils that upon wetting and drying, will alternately expand and contract, causing problems for foundations of buildings and other structures.
Term
Residual Soil
Definition
Refers to soils that develop on bedrock
Term
Sediment Pollution
Definition
Pollution of some part of the environment either on land or in a body of water by sediment that has been transported into that environment by wind or water; an example is turbidity of a water supply (muddy water)
Term
Shrink-Swell Potential
Definition
Measure of a soil's tendency to increase and decrease in volume as water content changes.
Term
Soil
Definition
Soil Science: Earth material so modified by biological, chemical, and physical processes that the material will support rooted plants. Engineering: Earth material that can be removed without blasting.
Term
Soil Fertility
Definition
Capacity of a soil to supply nutrients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) needed for plant growth when other factors are favorable.
Term
Soil Horizons
Definition
Layers in soil(A,B,C, etc.) that differ from one another in chemical, physical, and biological properties.
Term
Soil Profile
Definition
Weathering of earth materials that, along with biological activity and time produces a soil that contains several horizons distinct from the parent material from which the soil formed.
Term
Soil Survey
Definition
A survey consisting of a detailed soil map and descriptions of soils and land-use limitations; usually prepared in cooperation with local government
Term
Transported Soil
Definition
Does not refer to any transport process of a soil but rather reflects that the parent material of a soil is material that has been transported to a particular location, such as alluvium to a flood plain or glacial deposit.
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